WATCH: State Dept Spokesperson Goes Head To Head With Reporter Over Biden Arms Restriction To Israel

4 months ago

During a press briefing on Thursday, State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller answered reporter questions on President Biden's comments regarding halting arms deliveries to Israel.

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Transcript

00:00Okay.

00:07Matt.

00:09Four days in a row.

00:13Four days in a row.

00:15I'm sorry.

00:18As I was walking out here I was remembering our exchange about this yesterday and thinking, oh, I'm going to get it.

00:20It's all very quiet.

00:22Everything is fine and calm.

00:24Again, my lack of opening remarks does not indicate lack of anything to say.

00:29Right. Okay. Can you explain to us what the impact – what the practical impact,

00:34at least for the State Department, is of the President's comments last night about arms

00:39shipments to – arms transfers to Israel, and whether or not this plays into the

00:46NSM report that I guess is coming today and maybe tomorrow?

00:51So let me speak first with the NSM report. It doesn't have any practical impact on the NSM

00:55report. The NSM report is a backwards-looking report where we're looking at a number of things

01:03over the past – for conduct from last year and then up to when we send the report. It doesn't

01:07have any impact either on the content of the report or the timing of that report, which won't

01:11be today, but again, I expect in the very near future. It's just a matter of days that we'll

01:16be able to get that report up to the Hill. And then with respect to the larger question,

01:21so what the President made clear is that we have concerns about a potential military

01:27operation in Rafah. I don't think that's any secret. We've been making those concerns known

01:30publicly and we have made those concerns quite clear to the Government of Israel. And as the

01:35President noted, there are certain types of military assistance that we will not make

01:40available to Israel for use in a campaign in Rafah.

01:43Okay. But I was under the impression that you guys didn't speak to hypotheticals.

01:49So we have made quite clear for some time our concerns about a Rafah operation,

01:55something the Israel Government has signaled is likely to be coming,

02:00and so yes, we have been engaged with them on that.

02:01Well, I get it, but isn't it if – isn't there a big if in here?

02:07Certainly, that would be our hope. We don't want to see an operation go forward and

02:11– we're making that clear.

02:11No, I know, but every time you're asked any question that's got the word

02:17if in it or it's not something that has already happened, you refuse to answer. And now —

02:23I wouldn't say every time. I wouldn't say every time.

02:25Pretty much.

02:26Look, I – so I – just to be – I should be serious about this.

02:30I'm not trying to be in light of it. I just – but I just – you guys have – or the

02:36President has made a policy prescription, apparently, based on something that hasn't

02:41happened yet. Right?

02:42He has – he – because we have been in close conversation with the Government of Israel about

02:50this fact, there is a different than – there is a very real difference, obviously, between

02:54coming to the briefing room and getting a question about something that might happen

02:58and something that we're engaged with a foreign government that they say they intend to do,

03:02and we treat those differently for quite obvious reasons.

03:05Okay. So you're saying you won't tell us the whole truth, but you will?

03:10I'm saying it's different when a reporter raises a hypothetical question versus a government saying

03:14this is what we intend to do, this is what our policy is going to be, and we have to make

03:17determinations about our policy.

03:18Is it your understanding that the President has decided that what Israel has done in Rafah

03:21so far is – crosses the red line?

03:24We have not yet seen an indication of a major military operation. So that's

03:29something that we are watching closely, and the President made that clear in his comments.

03:33And yet he already decided to halt or to suspend these shipments.

03:38We have paused one shipment and are reviewing others in the context of a potential operation.

03:46But again, we hope that there is no operation. That, I think,

03:49would be the best outcome for everyone involved.

03:51Okay. Thank you.

WATCH: State Dept Spokesperson Goes Head To Head With Reporter Over Biden Arms Restriction To Israel

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