GOP turns up heat on House Dems with high-pressure Israel vote Thursday

The House of Representatives is set to vote on a bill to stop President Biden from blocking offensive weapons aid to Israel on Thursday.

Biden has faced bipartisan backlash for withholding a bomb shipment from Israel over fears it could be used in Rafah, as well as for warning Israel that the U.S. would not send offensive weapons if they were used on population centers in the southern Gaza Strip. 

The Israel Security Assistance Support Act would condemn the president’s posture on Israel’s Gaza invasion while compelling the Biden administration to expeditiously send any weapons shipments already approved by Congress.

REPORTS OF BIDEN WHITE HOUSEKEEPING ‘SENSITIVE’ HAMAS INTEL FROM ISRAEL DRAWS OUTRAGE

It would also withhold funding from the secretary of defense, secretary of state and the National Security Council if there was any delay in weapons aid. 

Democrat leaders in the House and White House are actively opposing the bill, but it’s expected to have at least a few supporters on the left.

One House Democrat aide told Fox News Digital they anticipate roughly 10 left-wing lawmakers to join Republicans in supporting the bill.

 BLINKEN DELIVERS STRONGEST REBUKE OF ISRAEL YET: ‘GET OUT OF GAZA’

A second House Democrat aide put the number at under 20, noting that the White House was "pushing hard" against the bill.

At least two Democrat lawmakers – Reps. Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y., and Greg Landsman, D-Ohio – have told Axios that they are voting for the bill.

The issue of Israel has proven to be a potent political cudgel for the GOP as Democrats wrestle with a growing chorus of voices who are increasingly critical of the U.S.’s traditionally unconditional support for Israel.

MIKE PENCE ACCUSES BIDEN OF IMPEACHMENT HYPOCRISY

House Minority Whip Katherine Clark, D-Mass., said Wednesday morning, "We know this is a political sham bill. And really, when you look at this bill, they are looking to [the Pentagon], State Department, the NSC, in this time of global conflict. It's shameful."

The White House called the bill a "misguided reaction to a deliberate distortion of the administration’s approach to Israel" in its veto threat.

The vote comes days after Biden announced he was moving forward with a $1 billion weapons shipment to Israel, according to reports.

White House walks diplomatic tightrope on Israel amid contradictory messaging: ‘You can’t have it both ways’

The Biden administration has been taking criticism as of late for what some have described as conflicting messaging on key subjects relating to the United States' top Mideast ally: Israel.

During a daily briefing last week, Fox News White House correspondent Jacqui Heinrich pressed White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about the administration's attestation to an "ironclad commitment" to Israel while "slow-walk[ing] arms sales."

Jean-Pierre replied, in part, by reiterating America's commitment to Israeli security remains "ironclad."

Meanwhile, President Biden himself pledged that if the Israel Defense Forces incur substantively into the southern Gazan city of Rafah, "I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities – that deal with that problem."

BLINKEN DELIVERS STRONGEST REBUKE OF ISRAEL YET: ‘GET OUT OF GAZA’

Several lawmakers have taken issue with the administration's stance, including Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Ala., chair of the House Armed Services Committee, who called the president's recent tack "another shortsighted decision by Biden that undermines our allies, emboldens our adversaries, and sends the message that the U.S. is unreliable."

"Our adversaries would love nothing more than to drive a wedge between the U.S. and Israel," Rogers told Fox News Digital in a statement Friday. "Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas and Iran."

Rogers' counterpart in the Senate, Armed Services Committee ranking member Roger Wicker, R-Miss., also called out Biden over a May 8 Associated Press report that the U.S. indeed paused a shipment of bombs in response to Israel potentially making a decision on a "full-scale assault" on Rafah.

"If Hamas laid down its weapons, the war would be over. But if Israel lays down its weapons, it would be the end of Israel," Wicker said. 

MIKE PENCE ACCUSES BIDEN OF IMPEACHMENT HYPOCRISY

"Unfortunately, President Biden has this backwards. He has withheld arms for our staunchest ally one day then professed solidarity with the Jewish people the next," the Magnolia State lawmaker added.

Former National Security Council official Victoria Coates said of the administration's conflicting messaging, "you can't have it both ways."

"You're going to have to pick a team and put on a jersey and get in a fight. And the administration is desperately trying to please both sides," Coates said.

"And what they've achieved is that both sides are very angry with them. So, you know, it's it's just a massive failure both on the policy and the political front."

Two other GOP senators, Ted Budd of North Carolina and Joni Ernst of Iowa, wrote the White House a detailed letter demanding issue-specific answers from Biden on his comments on arms sales and Rafah.

Some of the questions posed included demands on which types of ammunition are reportedly being withheld, whether any arms withheld were part of those directly approved by Congress in a recent supplemental appropriation, and how such reports square with the president's April 23 pledge to "make sure that Israel has what it needs to defend itself against Iran and terrorists it supports."

"Why did your administration fail to notify Congress about this decision to withhold assistance to Israel?" Ernst and Budd asked in the letter. 

"We must give Israel the arms it needs to fight the Hamas terrorists that continue to hold Americans hostage. We call on your administration to immediately restart the weapons shipments to Israel today."

In a statement, Budd told Fox News Digital one of his constituents, Keith Siegel, remains in Hamas captivity along with seven other U.S. citizens.

"President Biden is making it harder to secure the hostages’ freedom," Budd said.

Another Republican lawmaker, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Michael McCaul of Texas, called the threat of an arms embargo a "dangerous mistake" and "shortsighted."

On his Fox News program, "Life, Liberty & Levin," former Reagan Justice Department chief of staff Mark Levin went so far as to say Biden's actions have renewed "ancient blood libels against Jews."

Stateside, Biden has condemned the "ferocious surge of antisemitism in America" and said that "there’s the right to protest, but not the right to cause chaos" only after he tried to clean up comments made during a press gaggle where he said, "I also condemn those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians …"

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The administration has been criticized for declining to take a tough stance against criminal acts committed by some anti-Israel agitators on college campuses or call on law enforcement to step in.

In April, 27 Republican senators wrote a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona to demand an update on any efforts to curb the "outbreak of anti-Semitic, pro-terrorist mobs on college campuses."

"These pro-Hamas rioters have effectively shut down college campuses and have literally chased Jewish students away from our schools," the letter reads in part. "The Department of Education and federal law enforcement must act immediately to restore order, prosecute the mobs who have perpetuated violence and threats against Jewish students, revoke the visas of all foreign nationals (such as exchange students) who have taken part in promoting terrorism, and hold accountable school administrators who have stood by instead of protecting their students."

In response to the protests, Rep. Michael Lawler, R-N.Y., of whose district 90,000 Jewish U.S. citizens call home, drafted the Antisemitism Awareness Act, which successfully passed the House, 320-91, with some "nay" votes falling on grounds the bill would purportedly infringe upon First Amendment rights. Lawler's office did not respond to requests for comment on this story.

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment but did not receive a response by press time.

Fox News' Jacqui Heinrich, Bradford Betz, Greg Norman and Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.

Biden is caving to campus agitators in threatening to cut aid to Israel, senators say: ‘All about November’

WASHINGTON, D.C. Republican senators believe President Biden's "disgraceful" warning to cut offensive aid to Israel during its conflict with Hamas was a political decision to appease "the pro-Hamas wing of the Democrat Party" in November.

President Biden recently threatened to cut aid to America's ally Israel if the country invades Rafah, a city in the Gaza Strip.

"If they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities — that deal with that problem," the president told CNN Wednesday.

The decision comes after weeks of anti-Israel agitators causing chaos on college campuses across the nation, and lawmakers are connecting the two as the president seeks another term in the White House.

HOUSE GOP DRAFTING BIDEN IMPEACHMENT ARTICLES OVER ISRAEL AID CUTOFF THREAT

When asked about Biden's decision coming amid the anti-Israel riots, Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital "the pro-Hamas wing of the Democrat Party is growing." 

"I do think he caved to the folks on campus, who are calling for the death of Israel. And I think the pro-Hamas wing of the Democrat Party is growing. And these are political decisions, trying to meddle in another country's elections," Schmitt said.

"You know, Chuck Schumer and Joe Biden called for Benjamin Netanyahu to be ousted in the middle of a war, and now he's withholding arms that have been appropriated. It's really outrageous," he added. "And I think, again, it just sort of shows how desperate Joe Biden is to try to again appease these radicals in his party. He's willing to risk U.S.-Israel relations."

Biden has received bipartisan backlash for his recent comment about aid to Israel, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country "will stand alone" to defeat Hamas if necessary.

"Sadly, this administration has been the most anti-Israel administration we've ever seen," Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, told Fox News Digital. "And right now, what do you see the Biden administration doing? They are simultaneously flooding cash to the Hamas terrorists while they're cutting off weapons to Israel. They're undermining our friend and ally Israel. It is disgraceful. And, yes, part of it is that today's Democrat Party is terrified of the radical left in the party, the extreme anti-Israel, antisemitic protesters we see at college campuses all across the country."

The senator added there is a "pro-Hamas wing" of the Democratic party.

NETANYAHU SAYS ISRAEL ‘WILL STAND ALONE’ IF NECESSARY AFTER BIDEN THREATENS TO WITHHOLD WEAPONS

When asked by Fox News Digital if the campus riots were linked to Biden's recent warning to Israel, Sen. Ted Budd, R-N.C. said the two events are "absolutely" connected to Biden seeking another term.

Budd said Biden's warning to Israel was about the November election and Biden "collapsing in these swing states."

"I just got back from Israel this week, met with the prime minister. Met with many people here rather easily. They're wondering, ‘What the heck is the U.S. doing?’ This is all about November, Joe Biden. This is about Minnesota. This is about Michigan. He's collapsing in these swing states. And so he's trying to stitch this together, and it's completely off the rails. 

"It's showing the world that you can't trust the U.S.," Budd added. "It's very frustrating, particularly when you're trying to get the eight U.S. hostages home and respect these families that have been waiting and waiting for over 200 days. This just demonstrates weakness and confusion to the world."

Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kan., agreed Biden's statement was in response to the protests, saying, "I think he's caved to the college agitators. And just, in general, the Palestinian community. It just doesn't make sense to any of us. And that's why I encourage everybody to not listen to what he says. Watch what Joe Biden does. It makes no sense.

"I describe it as Biden's schizophrenic national security policies," he continued. "On the one hand, he says he wants to minimize casualties, public casualties. But, on the other hand, he keeps us from sending smart bombs. On the one hand, he says that he wants a minimum loss of life, that he wants the hostages released. But when he tells the world, 'We're not going to send any more weapons,' what is the message? Do they back out of the negotiations? So, everything that Joe Biden touches when it comes to national security just turns to mud."

Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., filed articles of impeachment against Biden Friday for his threat against Israel, saying ahead of the move that "these are the same accusations made against President Trump, which resulted in his impeachment by Democrats. The same must happen for Joe Biden, which is why we’re drawing up articles of impeachment now."

Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub.

Fox News' Elizabeth Elkind contributed to this report.

Biden ripped over resurfaced anti-Trump tweet critics say ‘endorses his own impeachment’

President Joe Biden was blasted on social media this week over a past anti-Trump tweet that critics said showed he should be impeached for withholding some weapons from Israel if it moves forward with a military operation in Rafah, Gaza.

"President Trump withheld Congressionally appropriated aid to Ukraine unless they granted him a political favor," Biden tweeted as a candidate in 2019 about the impeachment push against Trump over a phone call with Ukraine that Democrats claimed was a "quid pro quo."

"It's the definition of quid pro quo. This is no joke—Trump continues to put his own personal, political interests ahead of the national interest. He must be impeached."

Trump was ultimately impeached  for "abuse of power" and "obstruction of Congress" related to his dealings with Ukraine.

NETANYAHU SAYS ISRAEL 'WILL STAND ALONE' IF NECESSARY AFTER BIDEN THREATENS TO WITHHOLD WEAPONS

Biden’s 2019 post drew immediate push back on social media from conservatives who argued that Biden’s recent move to withhold some military aid from Israel due to his objection to their military campaign in Gaza was similar to what Democrats accused Trump of during the impeachment.

"Joe Biden endorses his own impeachment," Red State writer Bonchie posted on X.

"Wow — how newly relevant,"  New York Post reporter Jon Levine posted on X.

"Joe Biden is withholding Congressionally appropriated aid to Israel unless they grant him a political favor. It's the definition of quid pro quo," conservative communicator Steve Guest posted on X.

"This is no joke—Biden continues to put his own personal, political interests ahead of the national interest. He must be impeached," Federalist co-founder Sean Davis posted on X. 

GOP GOVERNOR FUMES OVER BIDEN'S THREAT TO CUT OFF ISRAEL AID: 'HE'S NEGOTIATING FOR THE TERRORISTS'

"Joe Biden withheld Congressionally appropriated aid to uproot Hamas in a political pay off pro-Hamas radicals," Trump adviser Stephen Miller posted on X. "This warrants impeachment and criminal investigation — including exploring all ties between Biden aides and Iran."

Some have pushed back on the suggestion that Biden committed an impeachable offense, including those who have pointed to a 2020 report from the Congressional Research Service, a nonpartisan office that analyzes U.S. policy, that says, "The Arms Export Control Act of 1961 "prohibits the sale or delivery of U.S.-origin defense articles if the President finds that a recipient country has used such articles for unauthorized purposes."

In a statement to Fox News Digital, a White House official dismissed the accusations of hypocrisy as "ridiculous."

ISRAEL BOMBS RAFAH, PREPARES FOR GROUND INVASION AFTER CEASEFIRE TALKS WITH HAMAS FALL APART

"Senior administration officials had already made multiple public statements about Rafah similar to the President’s, including that we are also ensuring Israel gets every dollar appropriated in the supplemental," the official said. "Trump failed to spend dollars appropriated by Congress that he was legally required to spend. This is about a purchase made by a foreign government using its own funds, not funds appropriated by Congress, and our decision whether to deliver that purchase right now, which could enable an operation we’ve publicly and privately objected to." 

House Republicans disagree with the assessment from the White House as evidenced by news on Friday that articles of impeachment were filed against President Biden over the controversy.

"In violation of his oath to faithfully execute the office of President and to uphold the Constitution, President Biden abused the powers of his office by soliciting a 'quid pro quo' with Israel while leveraging vital military aid for policy changes," GOP Rep. Cory Mills said in a statement first reported by Fox News Digital.

"This egregious action not only compromised the credibility of the United States but also undermined the interests of our longstanding ally, Israel. Therefore, President Biden's conduct warrants impeachment, trial, removal from office, and disqualification from holding any future office under the United States."

Biden has faced criticism from members of his own party as well including Democratic Rep. Ritchie Tores, who said he suspects that Biden is "pandering to the far left."

"It looks like election year politics was driving it," Tores said. "That's my impression." 
 

GOP rep files impeachment articles using Dem precedent set during Trump administration

FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., formally filed articles of impeachment against President Biden on Friday over his recent comments about withholding offensive weapons aid to Israel, drawing parallels to House Democrats' first impeachment of former President Trump.

The first-term House Republican told Fox News Digital it was his "constitutional duty" to do so.

His legislative text, first obtained by Fox News Digital, accuses Biden of "abuse of power" and charges that he tried to force Israel into changing its own defense policies by leveraging lethal aid.

"In violation of his oath to faithfully execute the office of President and to uphold the Constitution, President Biden abused the powers of his office by soliciting a 'quid pro quo' with Israel while leveraging vital military aid for policy changes. This egregious action not only compromised the credibility of the United States but also undermined the interests of our longstanding ally, Israel. Therefore, President Biden's conduct warrants impeachment, trial, removal from office, and disqualification from holding any future office under the United States," Mills said in a statement.

ANTI-ISRAEL OCCUPIERS COULD LOSE FEDERAL STUDENT LOANS UNDER NEW GOP SENATE BILL

Fox News Digital was first to report Mills' intent to file the impeachment articles on Thursday. He and other GOP lawmakers have drawn comparisons between Biden's comments on Israel and Trump's leveraging of lethal aid to Ukraine unless Kyiv announced an investigation into the Bidens.

"Joe Biden is pressuring Israel, our biggest ally in the Middle East, by pausing their funding that has already been approved in the House, if they don't stop all operations with Hamas. It’s a very clear message, ‘this for that,'" Mills said Thursday. "These are the same accusations made against President Trump, which resulted in his impeachment by Democrats. The same must happen for Joe Biden, which is why we’re drawing up articles of impeachment now."

Biden made the high-stakes ultimatum to Israel's government in a CNN interview that aired Wednesday night as it prepares for a ground invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The city is currently home to more than a million Palestinians who left other parts of the Gaza Strip, where Israel has conducted its mission to eradicate the terrorist group Hamas.

Biden said Israel would continue to see U.S. support for its defensive systems, like the Iron Dome, in the CNN interview. He added, however, that "if they go into Rafah, I'm not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, that deal with that problem."

'NO CHOICE' BUT TO IMPEACH BIDEN OVER DELAYED ISRAEL AID, GOP SENATOR SAYS

Mills' legislative text argues that in making those comments, Biden "used the powers of the presidency in a manner that compromised the national security of the United States and its ally Israel."

It's highly unlikely for the push to reach the level of a Senate trial, with the House's current ongoing impeachment inquiry into Biden still searching for smoking gun evidence amid accusations of improper behavior and bribery, all of which the White House has denied.

But it shows the sky-high tensions that have taken over Washington amid Israel's war on Hamas after the terrorist group's Oct. 7 attack.

A White House official told Fox News Digital that Mills' push was "ridiculous" on Thursday.

BIDEN'S DECISION TO PULL ISRAEL WEAPONS SHIPMENT KEPT QUIET UNTIL AFTER HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE ADDRESS: REPORT

"Senior administration officials had already made multiple public statements about Rafah similar to the President’s, including that we are also ensuring Israel gets every dollar appropriated in the supplemental. Trump failed to spend dollars appropriated by Congress that he was legally required to spend. This is about a purchase made by a foreign government and our decision whether to deliver that purchase right now, which could enable an operation we’ve publicly and privately objected to," the official said.

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Meanwhile, White House national security communications adviser John Kirby told reporters on Thursday, "As the President said, Israel has not yet launched such an operation, so he was talking about what would happen in the future if they did.  That is a choice Israel will have to make.  We hope they don't. We will keep working with them to develop alternative approaches that we think have a better chance of strategic success and a better chance of eliminating the threat that Israeli people still face from Hamas."

Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for further comment on Friday.

Mike Pence accuses Biden of impeachment hypocrisy amid Israel arms threat

EXCLUSIVE: Shortly after President Biden announced Wednesday that he would withhold weapons from Israel if it entered the southern Gaza city of Rafah, former Vice President Mike Pence accused him of hypocrisy, in light of how his former boss was impeached on similar grounds.

On Wednesday, Biden lamented Gazan civilian casualties to CNN host Erin Burnett, telling her he "made it clear if they go into Rafah… I'm not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah; to deal with the cities, to deal with that problem."

"We're going to continue to make sure Israel is secure in terms of Iron Dome and their ability to respond to attacks that came out of the Middle East recently. It's just wrong."

On X, formerly Twitter, Pence tore into Biden, calling his comments "totally unacceptable."

JOHNSON: ‘I HOPE ITS A SENIOR MOMENT’ WHEN BIDEN THREATENED TO PULL ISRAEL SUPPORT

"I’m old enough to remember when Democrats impeached another president for supposedly withholding foreign aid that had been approved by Congress," he said.

"Stop the threats, Joe. America Stands with Israel."

In comments to Fox News Digital, Pence said Biden abandoned Israel in order to "win over the Hamas apologist wing of his party."

"Israel is our ally and the only message we should be sending is that we will stand beside them until they finish the job in Gaza and eradicate Hamas, once and for all," Pence said. 

"Congress passed the legislation, President Biden signed it, and it is his job to execute it. He can’t withhold aid for political convenience."

The Indiana Republican said Democrats used the same exact argument to impeach then-President Trump over his 2018 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Trump reportedly asked Zelenskyy to look into the Hunter Biden-Burisma affair while dangling $214 million in U.S. security assistance, which Democrats considered an act of soliciting foreign election interference.

"Israel is our most cherished ally," Pence went on to say. "And they deserve American support to defeat Hamas – not to be used as a political pawn." 

On Thursday, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., took his criticism a step further by calling on the House to initiate similar impeachment proceedings against the incumbent.

US LAW COULD FORCE BIDEN TO PULL UN FUNDING IF PALESTINIAN RECOGNITION BYPASS SUCCEEDS, EXPERTS SAY

"The House has no choice but to impeach Biden based on the Trump-Ukraine precedent of withholding foreign aid to help with reelection," he said.

"Only with Biden, it’s true."

In Trump's case, Democrats claimed it was "undisputed" that Trump asked Zelenskyy for a political favor in return for security assistance.

In opening remarks by Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., at a December 2019 impeachment inquiry hearing, he alleged Trump's call with Zelenskyy was part of "concerted effort" to "solicit a personal advantage in the next election – this time, in the form of an investigation of his political adversaries by a foreign government."

In an apparent response to Biden's warning, Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, introduced the Immediate Support for Israel Act on Friday, which she said would force the administration to deliver aid and support passed by Congress.

"Weeks ago, Congress came together in a bipartisan manner to pass an aid package for Israel. In an unprecedented move, President Biden not only halted the shipment of aid but also unilaterally added conditions to that very same aid – defying Congressional intent. Israel is currently engaged in a war with a terrorist organization that is still holding over 100 civilian hostages. There is simply no excuse for this delay," Van Duyne said in a statement obtained by Fox News.

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In a statement in Hebrew on the eve of Israeli Independence Day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said, "If we need to stand alone, we will stand alone."

"I have said that, if necessary, we will fight with our fingernails."

Meanwhile, billionaire hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, who has been vocally critical of antisemitism on campus, responded to a clip of Biden's CNN interview with the comment: "Crazy: This is one of the worst acts against an ally of a sitting president ever."

"Hopefully, this means he won’t be sitting for much longer," Ackman wrote on X.

The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Pence's reaction.

Fox News' Chad Pergram and Yonat Friling contributed to this report.

House GOP drafting Biden impeachment articles over Israel aid cutoff threat

FIRST ON FOX: Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., is preparing impeachment articles against President Biden over his threat to halt U.S. offensive aid to Israel, the first-term lawmaker told Fox News Digital on Thursday.

Mills accused Biden of forcing Israel into a "quid pro quo" situation by leveraging U.S. dollars against the Israeli government's actions in Gaza, drawing parallels to Democrats' first impeachment of former President Trump over his handling of Ukraine aid.

"The House has no choice but to impeach President ‘Quid pro Joe’ Biden. As Vice President, Biden was caught threatening to withhold funding and aid to Ukraine unless they fired the attorney general investigating Burisma, a company financially benefiting his son Hunter, not to mention the 10% share for 'the big guy' himself," Mills said in a statement.

"Now, Joe Biden is pressuring Israel, our biggest ally in the Middle East, by pausing their funding that has already been approved in the House, if they don't stop all operations with Hamas. It’s a very clear message, ‘this for that.’

MANY ISRAELIS FEEL ‘BETRAYED’ FOLLOWING BIDEN THREAT TO WITHHOLD ARMS TO DEFEAT HAMAS IN RAFAH

"These are the same accusations made against President Trump, which resulted in his impeachment by Democrats. The same must happen for Joe Biden, which is why we’re drawing up articles of impeachment now," Mills finished.

Biden made the high-stakes ultimatum to Israel's government in a CNN interview that aired Wednesday night as it prepares for a ground invasion of the southern Gaza city of Rafah. The city is currently home to more than a million Palestinians who left other parts of the Gaza Strip, where Israel has conducted its mission to eradicate the terrorist group Hamas.

Biden said Israel would continue to see U.S. support for its defensive systems, like the Iron Dome, in the CNN interview. He added, however, "if they go into Rafah, I'm not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities, that deal with that problem."

BIDEN'S DECISION TO PULL ISRAEL WEAPONS SHIPMENT KEPT QUIET UNTIL AFTER HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE ADDRESS: REPORT

The remarks prompted a flurry of backlash from Republicans and some moderate Democrats. Several more GOP lawmakers voiced support for impeaching Biden over the decision, arguing there are parallels to Trump's withholding of weapons aid to Ukraine in exchange for announcing an investigation into the Biden family.

Rep. Andrew Clyde, R-Ga., called on the House to open an immediate impeachment inquiry, arguing that Biden was motivated by political reasons.

"Given Democrats’ Trump-Ukraine precedent, President Biden’s decision to withhold lethal aid to our ally, Israel, for political gain is undoubtedly an impeachable offense. Clearly, the nefarious motive behind our commander in chief’s move to condition U.S. aid to Israel is to appease radical leftists and Hamas sympathizers ahead of the 2024 election," Clyde said. "The House must immediately open an impeachment inquiry due to the president’s disastrous decision to play politics with national security."

Rep. Jim Banks, R-Ind., told Fox News Digital, "The Democrats made their bed, and now they're [lying] in it. This is just the latest on a long list of reasons to impeach Biden, including the deadline withdrawal in Afghanistan and allowing more than 9 million illegal immigrants to invade our southern border."

BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION INVESTIGATING EMORY UNIVERSITY FOR ALLEGED ANTI-MUSLIM DISCRIMINATION 

It's highly unlikely for the push to reach the level of a Senate trial, with the House's current ongoing impeachment inquiry into Biden still searching for smoking gun evidence amid a mountain of accusations of improper behavior and bribery. 

But it shows the sky-high tensions that have taken over Washington amid Israel's war on Hamas after the terrorist group's Oct. 7 attack.

Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Calif., stopped short of calling for impeachment, but said, "The president is essentially threatening an arms embargo on our closest ally in the Middle East that is fighting a terror army holding American citizens hostage. Withholding critical munitions that Congress appropriated and Biden himself signed into law is wrong."

The first member of Congress to make the call was Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., posting on X early on Thursday morning, "The House has no choice but to impeach Biden based on the Trump-Ukraine precedent of withholding foreign aid to help with reelection. Only with Biden, it’s true."

Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.

‘No choice’ but to impeach Biden over delayed Israel aid, GOP senator says

A Republican senator is renewing the call to impeach President Biden following reports of aid to Israel being delayed during its war with the terrorist organization Hamas. 

"The House has no choice but to impeach Biden based on the Trump-Ukraine precedent of withholding foreign aid to help with reelection. Only with Biden, it’s true," Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., wrote on X on Thursday. 

A recently passed $95 billion supplemental foreign aid package included roughly $26 billion for both Israel and humanitarian aid for areas including Gaza. The aid was encouraged by the Biden administration, which had proposed it nearly six months prior. 

Cotton suggested that Biden should be impeached for delaying an aid shipment to Israel, which he claimed had to do with the president's re-election bid as he balances a divided Democratic Party on the Israel war. 

NPR CEO KATHERINE MAHER DECLINES HOUSE HEARING INVITE AMID BIAS SCANDAL

The White House Counsel's office did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital. 

Earlier this week, Israeli officials claimed the U.S. had paused a shipment of ammunition from the U.S., as Axios reported. 

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre maintained that the U.S.'s commitment to Israel is "ironclad," despite the report. 

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The report was ultimately confirmed by a U.S. official, who said the administration paused shipments of two types of precision bombs to Israel. One shipment would provide 2,000-pound bombs, with 1,800 to be delivered. The second held 500-pound bombs, with 1,700 to be delivered. 

REPUBLICANS KEEP PRESSURE ON NPR AND CONTROVERSIAL CEO AMID POLITICAL BIAS SCANDAL

"The U.S. position has been that Israel should not launch a major ground operation in Rafah, where more than a million people are sheltering with nowhere else to go," a U.S. official said. 

"We are especially focused on the end-use of the 2,000-lb bombs and the impact they could have in dense urban settings as we have seen in other parts of Gaza. We have not made a final determination on how to proceed with this shipment," they added. 

Per the official, "None of these shipments have anything to do with the Israel supplemental appropriations passed last month. All are drawn from previously appropriated funds, some many years ago."

In an interview with CNN on Wednesday, Biden drew a red line for ally Israel. "I made it clear that if they go into Rafah – they haven’t gone in Rafah yet – if they go into Rafah, I’m not supplying the weapons that have been used historically to deal with Rafah, to deal with the cities – that deal with that problem," he said. 

The White House did not immediately confirm the delayed shipment when prompted by Fox News Digital. 

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The Democratic-led House's impeachment of then-President Trump in 2019 indicted him on a charge of abuse of power, arguing he withheld aid to Ukraine while asking the country's leader to investigate his political rivals, including Biden. The Senate acquitted Trump on the House's charges. 

Cotton argued the same precedent should apply to Biden.

WHITE HOUSE LOOKS TO CONVINCE AMERICANS OF ‘BIDENOMICS’ WITH KAMALA HARRIS TOUR

Trump's campaign did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital. 

Republicans in the House have appeared eager to impeach the president, heavily investigating Biden's family's business ties, particularly his son Hunter Biden. 

House Committee on Oversight and Accountability Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., did not immediately provide comment to Fox News Digital. 

Fox News' Liz Friden and Jacqui Heinrich contributed to this report. 

Liz Cheney joins old foe Trump in public slam of Biden’s latest move in Israel: ‘Wrong and dangerous’

Former Wyoming Congresswoman Liz Cheney has found common ground with former President Trump, who she previously voted to impeach, as they both oppose President Biden’s latest move in Israel.

On Wednesday, the anti-Trump Republican said withholding aid from America’s closest ally in the Middle East "wrong and dangerous." The comment came just hours apart from Trump tweeting that Biden was helping the Hamas terror group and "taking the side of these terrorists."

"Withholding aid to Israel is wrong and dangerous. America must not abandon Israel. Doing so would mean victory for Iran and all its terrorist allies," she wrote.

Both Republicans chided Biden after he vowed to withhold weapons from Israel if Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu goes forward with an invasion of Rafah, the last stronghold for Hamas in Gaza.

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Cheney’s public criticism of Biden comes amid his re-election rematch with Trump, who has called Biden "weak" and said his foreign policies were "leading the world straight into World War III."

In Trump’s own post, he reminded Biden about Hamas’ terror attack on Israeli border communities on Oct. 7, when 1,200 people were killed, making it the deadliest terror attack in Israel’s history.

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"Crooked Joe Biden, whether he knows it or not, just said he will withhold weapons from Israel as they fight to eradicate Hamas Terrorists in Gaza. Hamas murdered thousands of innocent civilians, including babies, and are still holding Americans hostage, if the hostages are still alive," Trump wrote. "Yet Crooked Joe is taking the side of these terrorists, just like he has sided with the Radical Mobs taking over our college campuses, because his donors are funding them."

He added: "Biden is weak, corrupt, and leading the world straight into World War III. Remember - this war in Israel, just like the war in Ukraine, would have NEVER started if I was in the White House. But very soon, we will be back, and once again demanding peace through strength!"

WITH CHENEY OUT, TRUMP HAS PURGED MOST PRO-IMPEACHMENT HOUSE REPUBLICANS FROM GOP

Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, was an ally of Trump's at times when he was in office and ascended to chair of the House Republican Conference.

She then vehemently opposed him after Biden defeated Trump in the 2020 election. She further angered Republicans when she joined the Jan. 6 House Select Committee that investigated the events surrounding the 2021 Capitol riot.

Upon the Jan. 6 committee, Cheney recommended and ultimately voted to impeach Trump.

As a result, she was defeated in a landslide in her GOP primary race for Wyoming's at-large congressional seat in 2022.

Democrats join Republicans in condemning antisemitism at Columbia University

A number of Democrats in the Senate have joined their Republican colleagues in denouncing discrimination against Jewish students at the prestigious Ivy League Columbia University, where an anti-Israel solidarity encampment persists on campus, prompting the institution to move classes online on Monday. 

"Every American has a right to protest," Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement. "But when protests shift to antisemitism, verbal abuse, intimidation, or glorification of Oct. 7 violence against Jewish people, that crosses the line."

"Campuses must remain safe for all students."

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Schumer, who represents New York City, where Columbia is located, is the first Jewish majority leader in the Senate and also the highest ranking Jewish elected official in U.S. history. 

Last week, the anti-Israel demonstration sprang up on Columbia's campus, with students camping out in tents and demanding that the university divest from all companies with ties to Israel. Since then, the protest has grown in size and presented a safety threat to Jewish students. This has mushroomed into such a concern that an Orthodox rabbi at the school advised Jewish students to leave campus because "Columbia University’s Public Safety and the NYPD cannot guarantee Jewish students’ safety."

New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, another Democrat, also denounced the display of antisemitism at the university, saying she was "appalled." 

GOP PREPS ATTACKS ON VULNERABLE DEM SENATORS OVER MAYORKAS IMPEACHMENT TRIAL DISMISSAL

"Threats of violence against Jewish students and the Jewish community are horrible, despicable and wholly unacceptable," she said. "Using the rhetoric of terrorists has no place in New York, where we pride ourselves on tolerance and the right of every group to practice their religion in peace."

Others who joined their party members in addressing the encampment were Sens. Jacky Rosen, D-Nev., and John Fetterman, D-Penn.

"I’m outraged by the vile displays of antisemitism at Columbia University, including threats of violence," read a post on X, formerly Twitter, from Rosen, who faces a tough re-election battle in November in swing state Nevada. 

Fetterman, who has emerged as one of Israel's strongest supporters in his party, compared the demonstration to "Charlottesville for these Jewish students." Fetterman referenced the 2017 "Unite the Right" rally in Virginia that drew hundreds of white supremacists and ultimately turned violent, resulting in the death of one woman. 

"President Minouche Shafik: do your job or resign, so Columbia can find someone who will," Fetterman added. 

FETTERMAN HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR 'SAFE, PURE, TAXED' MARIJUANA IN 4/20 PUSH TO LEGALIZE WEED

While a number of Democrats have chosen to make public statements on the events unfolding at Columbia, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., blamed the party for allowing it to happen in the first place. "The radical anti-Israel protestors have always been part of the Democratic Party’s base," he wrote on X. "Now Joe Biden is using them as an excuse to undermine Israel and appease Iran."

White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said the administration condemns "echoing the rhetoric of terrorist organizations" in the "strongest terms." 

Republicans in the Senate were quick to condemn the encampment at Columbia, and Sen. Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., even suggested, "Any student on a visa that is arrested for supporting Hamas needs to be deported immediately."

Many GOP members in the upper chamber have reinforced their support for Israel and the Jewish people frequently throughout the war between Israel and terrorist group Hamas in Gaza. Democrats have been more measured and careful with their commentary on the war and Israel as the party's divide on the issue expands, making the statements from them regarding Columbia particularly significant. 

President Biden and Democrats have faced criticism from their Republican counterparts for pulling back from Israel, a major U.S. ally in the Middle East. Biden recently warned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that U.S. policy in support of the country could change depending on the actions it takes to minimize civilian casualties in Gaza.

And in the wake of Iran's recent direct attack on Israel, Republicans quickly blamed Biden and other Democrats, accusing them of emboldening Israel's adversary to undertake such an audacious attack.