House Republicans have expressed outrage over the Biden administration's decision to express condolences following the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, widely known as the "Butcher of Tehran" for his role in human rights abuses.
Top House Republicans are condemning the Biden administration for offering condolences for the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi, drawing sharp criticism for what they perceive as a betrayal of human rights principles.
"It is absurd that the Biden administration touted their support for human rights while, in the same breath, offering official condolences for the ‘Butcher of Tehran.’ Clearly, the Democrat Party of today has become the pro-terrorist party," House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn., said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., termed the State Department's message "unacceptable, unnecessary, and outrageous."
"Biden’s State Department expressing condolences for the death of a brutal and monstrous enemy of America who tortured and killed his own people and led the charge to fund terrorist proxies around the world that have killed American soldiers is a new low for Joe Biden," Stefanik said in a statement Tuesday.
Stefanik accused Secretary of State Antony Blinken of "weak leadership" and a willingness to "appease the hostile Iranian regime," which she said reflected Biden's broader policy of capitulating to adversaries.
The State Department issued a brief statement upon news of Raisi’s death, expressing "official condolences" and reaffirming support for the Iranian people's struggle for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
However, GOP lawmakers have rejected this stance, arguing that Raisi's legacy of human rights abuses should preclude any expression of sympathy.
"Ebrahim Raisi was known as the ‘Butcher of Tehran’ for a REASON. He was an evil tyrant who persecuted & killed thousands of innocent Iranians & was a protégé of the Ayatollah himself," Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., wrote on Twitter. "The United States SHOULD NOT be sending condolences. The world is a safer place WITHOUT him."
Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., urged the Biden administration to "publicly denounce" Iran's regime rather than offer condolences. He also called for backing Iranian resistance fighters and reinstating the Trump administration's "maximum pressure" campaign.
The State Department has defended its position, acknowledging Raisi's record of human rights abuses but stating that it is not appropriate to comment on the loss of life in a helicopter crash.
"We have been quite clear that Ebrahim Raisi was a brutal participant in the repression of the Iranian people for nearly four decades," State Department spokesman Matt Miller said. "That said, we regret any loss of life. We don't want to see anyone die in a helicopter crash. But that doesn't change the reality of his record."
Despite the State Department's explanation, Republican lawmakers have remained vocal in their criticism, accusing the Biden administration of prioritizing diplomacy over human rights principles and jeopardizing America's national security interests.
