During an interview aired on Tuesday’s broadcast of the Fox News Channel’s “Special Report,” Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO) stated that “there should be criticism of administrations on both sides of the aisle” over how they handled Iran, and Iran has “been able to forge influence in the region that is much more substantial than anything that they had 10 or 15 years ago. Their proxies have been much more successful.”
Host Bret Baier asked, [relevant exchange begins around 2:45] “Sen. Bennet, you mentioned Iran and putting the pressure on them and that they are still a real threat in that region. There obviously is criticism of the Biden administration from the right that, perhaps, the sanctions haven’t been fully implemented and they have a lot of money that they’re spending, including on terrorist proxies. What’s the response to that, knowing what you know on this committee?
Bennet responded, “I think, knowing what I know on this committee, Bret, I think it’s fair to say there should be criticism of administrations on both sides of the aisle. You look at what’s happened over the last 15 years as Iran has been able to build up those proxies in Yemen and in Iraq, in Lebanon, and they have been able to forge influence in the region that is much more substantial than anything that they had 10 or 15 years ago. Their proxies have been much more successful. This is the kind of thing, by the way, that shouldn’t change from Democratic to Republican administrations. During the Cold War, we made mistakes, we certainly made mistakes, but, in general, every president knew what their job was with respect to the Cold War. It’s my hope that, as we get through this Ukraine funding, and we actually get it done, there will be a new consensus that will emerge, kind of like that old consensus that was bipartisan and lasted from a Democratic administration to a Republican.”
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