25 House Democrats preparing to call for Biden to step aside
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Biden's challenges have extended beyond his immediate advisors, with some US officials accusing him of being complicit in the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza.
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Joe Biden delivers a statement upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv, on July 13, 2022. (AFP via Getty Images)
Some elected Democrats who support President Joe Biden raised new concerns, on Tuesday, about his campaign for re-election in 2024, with one suggesting he should consider stepping down. This marks a change after many had previously defended him following his uncertain performance in last week's debate.
According to Democrats and political strategists, the decision whether Biden proceeds with his 2024 presidential bid, following his less-than-stellar debate against Republican candidate Donald Trump, largely rests with him.
Some donors are urging Biden to consider stepping down, and other Democrats are openly expressing concerns that he may not be capable of defeating Trump in November.
According to one House Democratic aide, there are 25 Democratic members of the House of Representatives who are ready to call for Biden to step aside if his performance continues to falter in the coming days. Another House Democratic aide mentioned that moderate Democrats in competitive districts, often referred to as "frontliners", are facing intense scrutiny and questions from their constituents this week.
After the debate, a Reuters/Ipsos poll revealed that one-third of Democrats believe Biden should halt his re-election campaign. US Representative Lloyd Doggett became the initial congressional Democrat to advocate for Biden's withdrawal from the presidential race on Tuesday. In an interview for NBC News, he expressed his wish for other Democratic legislators to join him in this stance.
Biden's challenges have extended beyond his immediate advisors, with some US officials accusing him of being complicit in the ongoing Israeli genocide in Gaza. This reflects growing criticism within political circles regarding US foreign policy and its implications for the ongoing war on Gaza.
The big picture
Twelve former US government officials who resigned in protest over US backing of Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip accused President Joe Biden's administration of clear involvement in the killing of Palestinians in the region.
In a collective statement, the officials accused the administration of disregarding US laws by supporting "Israel" and exploiting legal loopholes to maintain arms shipments to the country.
The White House and the State Department did not immediately respond to the statement, as per Reuters.
Why it matters
The significance of this issue lies in growing global condemnation of Israeli actions in Gaza and US military and diplomatic support for its ally amid a war that has led to the killing of nearly 38,000 Palestinians and a severe humanitarian crisis.
Earlier today, Maryam Hassanein resigned from her position as a Biden administration political appointee after nine months of the government's complicity in the Israeli genocide of Palestinians.
The departure of the 12 US officials indicates internal disagreement within the government regarding its stance on supporting "Israel". While Washington has advocated for the protection of civilians in Gaza and urged "Israel" to enhance humanitarian aid access, these resignations underscore ongoing debate and dissent over US policy.
What are they saying?
Those who signed the joint statement included former officials from the State Department, Education Department, Interior Department, White House, and the military.
"America's diplomatic cover for, and continuous flow of arms to, 'Israel' has ensured our undeniable complicity in the killings and forced starvation of a besieged Palestinian population in Gaza," the former officials said in the statement.
They called on the US government to utilize its "necessary and available leverage" to halt the war, secure the release of Israeli captives in Gaza and Palestinian detainees in "Israel", advocate for Palestinian self-determination, and allocate immediate additional humanitarian aid to Gaza.
US major explains he resigned to reject 'ethnic cleansing' in Gaza
In mid-May, Harrison Mann, a Jewish US Army officer, resigned in protest over the US support for "Israel", which, according to him, had “enabled and empowered” the killing of Palestinian civilians.
In his first broadcast interview since resigning, Mann, who served in the military for 13 years and was assigned to the Defense Intelligence Agency, told CBS News earlier this month that "Israel almost certainly" utilizes US weaponry in its aggression on Gaza.
A descendant of European Jews, he expressed to reporter Jim Axelrod, “I don’t know how you kill 35,000 civilians by accident,” adding that the Israeli response is neither “productive for the security of the state of Israel or Jews worldwide.”
“I’m confident saying it’s certainly some measure of ethnic cleansing, [which] I do not think is in the spirit of ‘never again,’” he added, responding affirmatively to Axelrod's question of his work being "directly connected to starving children."
Mann is not the only one that resigned, as in October, Josh Paul, a State Department official in the bureau overseeing arms transfers, resigned in objection to the administration's choice to persist in sending weapons to "Israel".
The US State Department witnessed yet another resignation announced on March 29 as a result of US President Joe Biden’s “horrific policy” toward "Israel", which is enabling “a genocide in Gaza.”
Biden's handling of war on Gaza prompts another official resignation
At the end of May, Alexander Smith, a contractor for the US Agency for International Development (USAID), told The Guardian that he was given the option of resigning or being fired after organizing a presentation on maternal and child mortality among Palestinians, which was abruptly canceled by USAID leadership.
Smith wrote that he could not perform his job where "specific people cannot be acknowledged as fully human, or where gender and human rights principles apply to some, but not to others, depending on their race."
He also shed light on the double standards when compared to Ukraine, where USAID prides itself on "programs supporting democracy, human rights, and rule of law," calling for legal repercussions when people are victimized.
A senior US State Department official, Stacy Gilbert, also resigned over disagreements with a newly published report claiming "Israel" was not blocking aid into Gaza, according to The Washington Post, citing two officials.
Gilbert served in the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration, and she emailed staff stating her belief that the State Department was wrong in its conclusion that "Israel" is not behind obstructing humanitarian assistance to Gaza, as per officials who read the letter.
Smith and Gilbert's resignations bring the tally of Biden officials who have openly quit over US policy on Gaza to nine, however, Josh Paul, the first official to leave, said that at least two dozen more had departed discreetly, without making a public statement.
