Rep. Marlin Stutzman (R., Ind.) has seen Middle East foreign policies come and go during his time in Congress.
But there has never been anything quite like President Donald Trump’s Operation Epic Fury, which led to the death of Iran’s Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, following the joint strikes conducted by U.S. and Israeli military forces.
“Thanks to the decisive action of President Trump and his administration, Ayatollah Khamenei is dead and the people of Iran are a big step closer to controlling their own destiny,” Stutzman noted. “Done are the days of the Iranians facing mass slaughter for standing up for their rights. This is a big deal for not only Iran, but the entire Middle East.”
Operation Epic Fury represents the latest move by Trump to fully repudiate the Middle East policies of former President Barack Obama; Stutzman had a first-row seat to many of those during his first stint as a congressman.
During his return to Congress, Stutzman has become one of the GOP’s go-tos on Middle East policy, especially when it comes to the newly-remade Syria. In recent days before Khamenei’s death, Stutzman continued standing out from his colleagues by feuding with Tucker Carlson, following Carlson’s interview with Mike Huckabee, America’s Ambassador to Israel.
“I used to respect Tucker Carlson but after watching his interview of Mike Huckabee, I am appalled,” Stutzman noted after the contentious interview. “Tucker gave ample platform and time to Nick Fuentes to share his anti-Semitic vitriol, but constantly interrupted, was impatient, disingenuous, argumentative and disrespectful to Huckabee. Ambassador Huckabee was nothing but gracious and kind. Carlson suggesting all ‘Jews’ do a DNA test in order to live in Israel is repulsive and smacks of ignorance regarding the oldest faith practice in the world combined with the worst kind of exclusionary prejudice and elitism.”
“Tucker Carlson is intentionally divisive with an obvious anti-modern Israel agenda when it comes to the Bible, Christianity and the deep roots of America‘s friendship with the Jewish people,” Stutzman concluded at the time.
