Congressman: Biden should freeze Iranian money over Hamas attack

ALPENA -- Congressman Jack Bergman said he supports Israel 100% and condemned the Hamas terrorist group's Saturday attack on the country.

Hamas invaded Israel and killed, tortured, and kidnapped civilians, including some U.S. citizens.

Bergman, a Republican from Watersmeet who represents all of northern Michigan and the Upper Peninsula, pointed his finger directly at Iran as the ringleader for the attack, which has used Hamas as its proxy. Bergman also called the tactics used in the attacks on Jews as animal behavior.

"We know for a fact that this was known and approved at different levels of the Iranian government, and that is because Hamas wouldn't have done this on its own," Bergman said. "They are the attack dogs for Iran and were doing what it was told from their higher power."

Iran has denied involvement.

Bergman, who is a retired U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant general, said he believes that ongoing peace talks between Israel and Saudi Arabia motivated Iran to plan and carry out the attack.

"What Iran fears most is the success of an Israel and Saudi partnership," he said. "Iran had motivation to make the talks fall through and use Hamas as its execution arm."

On Tuesday, President Joe Biden said 14 Americans have ben killed in the fighting and other American citizens could be held hostage in Gaza. Biden committed his support to Israel.

Bergman also said the current crisis at America's southern border, where thousands of immigrants are entering the U.S. illegally, could allow some bad actors to slip in undetected.

"Over the past several years, we have detained and prosecuted people from the terrorist watch list trying to come into the county," he said. "The problem is we don't know how many managed to get through and where they are."

In August, the U.S. announced an agreement with Iran to secure freedom for five U.S. citizens who'd been detained in the country in exchange for allowing Iran to access $6 billion of its own funds that had been frozen in South Korean banks.

The money consists of Iranian oil revenue frozen since 2019, when then-President Donald Trump imposed a ban on Iranian oil exports and sanctions on Iran's banking sector.

The Biden administration's agreement also included the release of five Iranians held in U.S. prisons.

Qatar's central bank is overseeing the funds, and Iran is only required to have access to that money to pay for items such as medicine and food.

Bergman said Biden should freeze that money. He said America must stop paying bad actors money to release prisoners or to stop developing nuclear weapons. Bergman said all that does is show weakness and others will attempt to extort the United States.

"It is another example of the Biden administration being asleep at the wheel and appeasing Iran," he said. "Appeasement doesn't work, and it emboldens others, but that is the administration's way of handling things. This time, they miscalculated severely."

As the war between Israel and Hamas begins, the war in Ukraine continues on.

Bergman said he still supports funding the Ukrainians to help them defeat Russia, but he believes the Ukrainian government needs to be more transparent in how the money received from the U.S is being used.

"I want to know how every last dollar is being used and how every munitian is being used to make sure they don't end up on the black market," Bergman said. "Ukraine and other countries have a history of corrupt government practices. I say trust is earned and not given, and trust but verify."