After reports of former U.S. Secretary of State and Biden Climate Czar John Kerry leaking information to Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif concerning covert Israeli military operations in Syria, Rep. Guy Reschenthaler (R-Pa.) called on Kerry to “immediately resign” in the event that the allegations prove to be true.
In an exclusive statement made to Breitbart News on Wednesday, Reschenthaler began by recalling his experience as a veteran, having witnessed Iran’s destructive role in the Middle East.
“As an Iraq War veteran, I saw firsthand the chaos and destruction Iran sows in the Middle East,” he wrote. “Iran is the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, an international human rights abuser, and a hostile nation that calls for the destruction of the United States and Israel.”
Referring to the leaking of the sensitive information as “reckless,” “wrong,” and “illegal,” Reschenthaler blasted the “disgusting behavior” that undermines the national security interests of both Israel and the U.S.
“If the allegations are true,” he writes, Kerry should resign at once and face appropriate investigations.
The statement in full reads:
As an Iraq War veteran, I saw firsthand the chaos and destruction Iran sows in the Middle East. Iran is the world’s largest state sponsor of terrorism, an international human rights abuser, and a hostile nation that calls for the destruction of the United States and Israel. Sharing sensitive and classified information with such an enemy is not only reckless and wrong, but illegal. Unfortunately, this disgusting behavior of undermining Israel and U.S. national security interests abroad is far too common from blame America first liberal Democrats. If the allegations are true, John Kerry should immediately resign and face investigations from Congress and the Department of Justice.
Reschenthaler is not alone on the matter.
On Tuesday, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) called on President Joe Biden to “fire John Kerry” if the allegations against him are accurate.
“These allegations are deeply concerning. Iran’s foreign minister on tape alleged that Kerry told him that Israel carried out over 200 military strikes on Iranian forces in Syria,” Cruz said, describing it as “utterly disqualifying,” if true.
“If that is true, it is criminal. It is disclosing serious, sensitive, classified information about one of America’s closest allies, the nation of Israel” to a “dangerous enemy of America and enemy of Israel. The caveat, if it’s true, is important,” he added.
Also on Tuesday, on an appearance on Fox & Friends, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) said if the report were revealed to be true, it “would be a major foreign policy catastrophe for the country.”
He called for the report to be investigated over “dangerous” national security concerns.
On Tuesday evening, former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Hannity that Kerry needs to address the report.
“It looks like from this reporting, that it’s confirmed what we can already believe, which was that while I was briefing President Trump, Kerry was briefing Zarif on intelligence that related to Israeli operations, I hope that’s not true,” he said.
Reschenthaler was sworn into office for a second term on January 3, 2021 to represent Pennsylvania’s 14th Congressional District and currently serves on both the House Appropriations Committee and the House Committee on Rules.
Follow Joshua Klein on Twitter @JoshuaKlein.
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