Republican Rep. Randy Fine of Florida launched an unusual attack on Vice President JD Vance over his remarks against Israeli critics of the agreement with Iran.
In an interview with Real America's Voice, Fine said he was surprised by the force of Vance's remarks, making clear that in his view they crossed a line. "I thought JD's comments were absolutely inappropriate and frankly, disgusting," he said. "The State of Israel was not created by the United States. It is not funded by the US, except in some small way. It was created in the blood and sweat and tears of the Jewish people arising out of the Holocaust."
Fine went on to attack Vance directly over what he described as historical ignorance. "The United States didn't
support Israel during its formation. In fact, there were times when it put arms embargoes in place and JD Vance would be wise to go back and learn his history."
At the same time, Fine was careful to separate his criticism of Vance from his trust in President Donald Trump and the possibility of an agreement with Iran. "Do I hope we can come up with a deal? And do I trust President Trump? I do," he said. "But I do not think he is being well-served by JD Vance in the comments that he made yesterday."
Of the agreement itself, he said peace with Iran "would be a great thing," and that opening the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for allowing Iran to sell oil on the global market was "a reasonable first step." However, he said, "to go out and villainize the country that stood by our side when we destroyed the Iranian military and the Iranian economy is simply not helpful."
At this point, Fine sharpened his tone, saying "I simply don't think it is helpful when you speak nicer to your enemies than your friends." According to Fine, "it brings into doubt your suitability to be in charge," referring to the vice president's suitability for the presidency in the future. Asked whether Vance needed to make amends with Israel, he replied, "Well, I don't think he needs to make nice with Israel. I don't think Israel needs JD Vance."
Fine also linked the dispute to the front against Hezbollah. He said that even after the "supposed ceasefire," Hezbollah had continued firing rockets at Israel "over and over and over again." He wondered how the US would respond if "Muslim terrorists were firing rockets at Florida from Cuba or from Mexico or from Canada," and answered, "We would wipe them off the face of the Earth." Therefore, he said, "we need to remember who the bad guy here is."
Fine rejected Vance's claim that Israeli ministers had personally attacked Trump, saying, "I haven't seen anyone do that. The only person I've seen attack Donald Trump is JD Vance back in 2016," referring to Vance's past remark that he was "going back and forth between thinking Trump is 'a cynical asshole like Nixon' or 'America's Hitler,'" before he became a close ally of the president.
According to Fine, a clear stand alongside Israel could actually help in the fight against Hezbollah and in the negotiations with Iran. "The reason Hezbollah is so integral to this deal is because Iran has basically said Hezbollah is Iran," he said. "When Hezbollah is firing rockets, it means that Iran is firing rockets. And I think everyone should keep that in mind."
