House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer vowed Tuesday to investigate the Biden administration’s move to unfreeze $6 billion in Iranian assets as part of a prisoner swap deal finalized last month.
Comer (R-Ky.) blasted the concession as a “ransom payment to Iran,” which came weeks before Tehran-backed terror group Hamas carried out a bloody assault on Israel that has left more than 1,000 dead.
“From the Biden Administration’s disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal to its $6 billion ransom payment to Iran, President Biden’s policies have led to turmoil in the region. Congress has a duty to hold the Biden Administration accountable,” Comer said in a statement obtained by The Post.
The White House has aggressively sought to bat down suggestions from Republicans that the $6 billion contributed to Hamas’ savage Saturday rampage.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken insisted Sunday that “not a single dollar has been spent from that account,” which is based in Qatar and which Blinken said has been closely monitored by the US Treasury.
The $6 billion stemmed from Iranian oil revenue that was frozen in South Korea due to international sanctions. The US agreed to unfreeze it for humanitarian uses.
Critics, including 2024 Republican contenders like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, have contended that money is fungible and the assets would free up Tehran to spend more cash on its terror proxies in the Middle East and elsewhere.
A growing chorus of Republicans have urged the Biden administration to refreeze those funds following the attack.
“Hamas is a terrorist organization funded by Iran. Joe Biden should have NEVER given $6 billion to Iran,” Republican Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) said Tuesday.
“The fact that the Biden Admin is not even considering freezing these funds following Hamas’ heinous terrorist attacks in Israel is disgraceful. Not one more cent should go to Iran.”
In addition to unfreezing the $6 billion, the US and Iran each released five prisoners as part of the exchange.
“The House Oversight Committee will continue to examine the foreign policy under this Administration and how it jeopardizes our national security. We will also continue our critical oversight of how taxpayer dollars are being used in order to prevent waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement,” Comer added.
The 51-year-old Kentucky lawmaker and ardent Biden foe further chided that the president “emboldened our enemies around the world.”
Biden has affirmed US support for the Jewish state and held at least three phone calls with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, most recently Tuesday afternoon.
Iran, a predominantly Shiite Muslim nation, has long provided funding for the Sunni extremist group Hamas as well as the Lebanese Shiite terrorist group Hezbollah, which threatens Israel from the north.
Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei cheered Hamas’ butchery in Israel.
“From the military and intelligence aspects, this defeat is irreparable,” Khamenei told a group of military cadets, Iranian media reported Tuesday.
“It is a devastating earthquake. It is unlikely that the usurping regime will be able to use the help of the West to repair the deep impacts that this incident has left on its ruling structures.”
The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday that Iranian security officials helped plan and approve the terrorist assault over a period of several months. However, the Biden administration has declined to point the finger at Tehran, citing a lack of direct evidence.
So far, at least 14 Americans have been killed, according to the White House.
Israel has undertaken retaliatory measures, including dropping bombs on Gaza, where Hamas resides, and preparing a ground invasion of the densely populated area.
“Hamas offers nothing but terror and bloodshed with no regard for who pays the price,” Biden declared Tuesday. “Like every nation in the world, Israel has the right to respond — indeed, has the duty to respond — to these vicious attacks.”