A Republican group has accused "MAGA extremists" in the GOP of threatening national and foreign security with their actions, resulting in key positions not being filled.
The Lincoln Project, a Republican PAC consisting of Donald Trump critics, hit out at GOP members of the House and the Senate for engaging in "political stunts" rather than trying to govern effectively.
The group cited the recent ousting of Kevin McCarthy as House Speaker, despite there being no clear candidate in line to replace him as an example, as well as Texas Senator Ted Cruz, who has reportedly been stalling the nominations of several U.S. ambassadors for countries such as Israel. The Republican National Committee and Cruz's office have been contacted for comment via email.
The lack of a U.S. ambassador to Israel has been highlighted since the Islamist militant organization Hamas launched a large-scale attack against Israel on Saturday, resulting in a war breaking out between Israel and the Palestinian group. The violence has killed at least 2,200 people on both sides, according to The Associated Press.
"GOP instability threatens our national security, national defense, & our allies. With two US allied countries in active war zones looking to America, MAGA extremists are blocking the government's ability to carry out basic functions & provide leadership & assistance," The Lincoln Project posted on X, formerly Twitter.
"The House still has NO speaker—House GOP is still trying to 'out MAGA' each other because they're beholden to Trump. Key ambassador positions are waiting. We have NO confirmed ambassadors to Israel or Egypt because of political stunts pulled by MAGA senators like Ted Cruz."
According to NBC News, Cruz has not yet spoken to Jack Lew, the Biden nominee for ambassador to Israel, who was put forward by the president for the role in September. In a statement, a spokesman for Cruz said the senator held concerns about Lew.
"Sen. Cruz has said since the summer that it was becoming impossible to expeditiously advance Biden administration nominees because those nominees keep lying to Congress and the American people, testifying publicly that they are committed to countering Iran and deepening the U.S.-Israel relationship then implementing the opposite policies in secret once confirmed," the spokesman said.
The Senate Foreign Relations Committee has announced that Lew's confirmation hearing will begin on October 18.
Elsewhere in their X posts, The Lincoln Project noted how Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville has indicated he has no plans to back down on his ongoing block of military promotions, despite war breaking out between Israel and Hamas.
"Key military positions are vacant. MAGA Senator Sen. [Tommy] Tuberville has refused to put national security over his extremist beliefs and is holding up 300 nominees for top military officials, including those who are instrumental for making military decisions," the group added. "MAGA extremists are withholding aid to Ukraine because they don't stand for democracy, they revere Putin.
"The future of American & global democracy is on the ballot in 2024. The dysfunctional & authoritarian MAGA Republican party does not deserve the sacred responsibility of upholding an oath to the Constitution."
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About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, domestic policy ... Read more
