House Republican skeptical that Biden played key role in Hamas hostage swap

A House Republican expressed skepticism that President Joe Biden was the difference maker in Friday’s release of hostages taken during the Hamas terror organization’s murderous raid on Israel last month.

On Friday, the octogenarian Democrat touted his role in securing a ceasefire in Gaza along with the freeing of 24 hostages in exchange for more than three dozen Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails. But with no Americans included among those released, Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) rejected the idea that Biden had much influence.

The Texas Republican appeared on Friday’s edition of  “Cavuto: Coast to Coast” on Fox Business following Biden’s boasting about his key role and pointed out that the lack of American hostages suggests that the storytelling career politician is full of malarkey.

(Video: Fox Business)

“Congressman, President Biden is taking credit for facilitating some of this hostage release. First, does he deserve that much credit? And second, how much of this is because of military pressure that Israel put on because Hamas needed a break in this?” Fallon was asked by Fox Business host Edward Lawrence.

“I think it’s absolutely because Israel exerted so much pressure that Hamas was willing to take a break. And of course, they got 150 Palestinian prisoners from Israel as well. So, they got that and they got the pause that they needed,” the congressman, who sits on the House Armed Services Committee, responded.

“Biden, you know what they say, even small successes like this have a thousand fathers and defeats an orphan. If Joe Biden was so crucial, why aren’t any Americans being freed right now? I think that’s very telling,” Fallon added.

“Beginning this morning, under a deal reached by extensive U.S. diplomacy, including numerous calls I’ve made from the Oval Office to leaders across the region, fighting in Gaza will halt for four days,” Biden boasted during remarks to the media that he delivered from exclusive Nantucket island where he is spending the holiday weekend holed up in his billionaire buddy’s $39 million estate.

Fallon isn’t the only one who isn’t impressed by Biden’s alleged influence on the exchange.

“We don’t know when that will occur, but we’re going to be— expect it to occur. And we don’t know what the list of all the hostages are and when they’ll be released, but we know the numbers that are going to be released. So, it is my hope and expectation it will be soon,” Biden said when asked by a reporter about when the American hostages will be released, admitting that he didn’t know if they were even alive.

“We don’t know all their conditions,” he added.

Chris Donaldson

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