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Senators from both major U.S. political parties are grilling Secretary of State Antony Blinken over the Biden administration’s friendly overtures to Qatar, where a leader of the terrorist group Hamas lives.
At a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing Tuesday, Blinken was asked about the administration’s decision to restore U.S. diplomatic ties with Doha, Qatar, severed in 2017.
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) questioned the wisdom of restoring relations after President Joe Biden was elected on a pledge to “drain the swamp” of terrorist activity.
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) asked Blinken how the U.S. can trust a country that “harbors people like this” and questioned whether it was even possible to to do business with Qatar while isolating Hamas.
Blinken defended the decision, saying that U.S. security interests “are best served by our having a relationship that reflects our interests and values.” He added that Qatar has made “meaningful efforts” to combat terrorist financing, although he acknowledged the country’s “mixed record” on other issues.