Biden’s Pick For Ambassador To Israel Slammed For Role In Iran Deal

Leading Senate Republicans have expressed concern over Biden’s pick for ambassador to Israel because of his role in negotiating the Iran nuclear deal in 2015.

Jack Lew was Treasury Secretary during the Obama administration, when $400 million in cash was delivered to the Iranian regime on the day of the implementation of the deal. 

“He was an ATM to the Iranian Ayatollah,” said Senator John Barrasso in Lews’ confirmation hearing Wednesday. “He oversaw the ransom payment to Iran — the massive influx of cash was ultimately a direct deposit into Iran's terrorism account.”

Other Republican members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee were no kinder to Lew –although they did admit that a new ambassador has to be confirmed as quickly as possible, given the current situation in Israel.

Senator Marco Rubio slammed Lew for issuing a special license to help Iran access the US financial system in 2016. “You put on 200 roadshows around the world, encouraging banks… and telling them ‘don’t worry about sanctions, don’t worry about penalties.”

Lew, however, defended his record related to the Iran nuclear deal, while depicting the Islamic Republic as “an evil, malign government that funds its evil and malign activities first.”

“I don't think this is the moment for us to be negotiating with Iran,” the former Secretary said, as the Biden administration has held indirect talks with the Islamic Republic throughout the year about ways to reduce tensions and possibly limit the progress in Tehran's nuclear program.

The negotiations resulted in a US agreement to allow $6 billion in frozen Iranian funds to be unblocked in exchange for the release of five Iranian Americans held hostage by Tehran. Critics called the agreement the largest ransom payment in history.

Lew was also asked if the Biden administration can guarantee that the Islamic Republic will use funds returned by the US with the lifting of additional sanctions only for humanitarian purposes.

“I can’t say that there’s no leakage,” Lew responded, “to the extent that there’s leakage, it won’t change the thrust of what they do. Sadly, supporting terrorist organizations like Hamas and Hezbollah – that’s not very expensive.”

The debate about Iran’s role in funding militant groups has become more prevalent in Washington with the Hamas attack against Israel and the release of $6 billion that currently is parked in Qatari banks and is supposed to be used only for imports of medicine by the Iranian regime.

US lawmakers have doubled their efforts to force the administration to ‘refreeze’ the $6 billion, arguing that the regime in Iran will use funds to plan and support ‘malign’ actors and activities such as Hamas and October 7 attacks on Israel.

It is against this backdrop that the Senate is assessing Jack Lew’s nomination for the ambassadorial position in Israel.

“Biden’s nom for Israel ambassador, Jack Lew, is bad for the US & our strongest ally in the Middle East” Senator Joni Ernst posted on X (formerly Twitter). “The Biden admin has already been infiltrated by Iranian spies, we should not place an Iranian sympathizer in this position.”

While Lew only needs 51 votes to be confirmed, assuming his nomination is advanced by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, any one senator can slow the process down on the Senate floor.

Senate Democrats say that confirming a new ambassador to Israel should be one of their highest priorities. The post has been vacant

“Given the dangerous state of emergency that Israel faces, the United States needs a confirmed U.S. ambassador in Jerusalem,” said Senate Foreign Relations Chair Ben Cardin as he began the hearing.

The post has been vacant since July 2023 when Thomas Nides finished his work as US ambassador to Israel.