On Thursday night, news came in about Israel's preemptive attack against Iran and their nuclear program. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former spokesperson, David Keyes, passionately justified the attacks that same night. Operation Rising Lion as it's known, though, as already been wildly successful. That hasn't stopped some members of Congress from putting out quite the garbage takes, though.
Townhall has covered Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) at great length before, specifically for the spin he's put out on immigration and concerns with boys competing in girls' sports and invading their private spaces. He was quick to chime in on Thursday night about Israel's attack as well, including what he thinks is the purpose for the attack and who he thinks is to blame.
The senator's first post on the matter put out quite the claim. "Israel's attack on Iran, clearly intended to scuttle the Trump Administration's negotiations with Tehran, is further evidence of how little respect world powers - including our own allies - have for President Trump."
Israel's attack on Iran, clearly intended to scuttle the Trump Administration's negotiations with Tehran, is further evidence of how little respect world powers - including our own allies - have for President Trump.
— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 13, 2025
Right, because the United States did so much for Israel under the Biden-Harris administration? Then President Joe Biden claimed to be pro-Israel, but took actions against the Jewish state, including by withholding arms. He and then Vice President Kamala Harris both also refused to attend Netanyahu's speech before a joint session of Congress last July.
The world was overall less safe under Biden. Russia felt emboldened to attack Ukraine after the disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan in August 2021, and Hamas also attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, under Biden's watch and no doubt felt they could do so thanks to his foreign policy catastrophes.
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Our allies didn't respect America under Biden, and our enemies had no fear of us. That certainly seems to have changed with President Donald Trump's second administration. Further, it looks like Trump may have known of the attack.
Such a post, the first of many boneheaded ones, brought in several replies and quoted reposts calling him out for such idiocy.
The dumbest take is already on the internet. But, the night is young. https://t.co/UHHCLUIrbb
— Katie Pavlich (@KatiePavlich) June 13, 2025
Not long after, Murphy also posted his "full statement," and it wasn't any better. This is where the blame of Trump and Netanyahu comes in.
"Israel's attack on Iran, clearly intended to scuttle the Trump Administration's negotiations with Iran, risks a regional war that will likely be catastrophic for America and is further evidence of how little respect world powers - including our own allies - have for President Trump," his post began with, also doubling down on the one before it.
"Iran would not be this close to possessing a nuclear weapon if Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu had not forced America out of the nuclear agreement with Iran that had brought Europe, Russia, and China together behind the United States to successfully contain Iran’s nuclear ambitions. This is a disaster of Trump and Netanyahu's own making, and now the region risks spiraling toward a new, deadly conflict. A war between Israel and Iran may be good for Netanyahu’s domestic politics, but it will likely be disastrous for both the security of Israel, the United States, and the rest of the region. As Secretary Rubio stated, the United States was not involved in today's strikes, and we have no obligation to follow Israel into a war we did not ask for and will make us less safe," he continued.
Secretary of State Rubio did point out such a statement, but one which doesn't look to further Murphy's points as much as he may like. Rubio's post also warned Iran not to take action against the United States. "Let me be clear: Iran should not target U.S. interests or personnel," Rubio concluded his statement by mentioning.
Further, Netanyahu, who would know about the security and safety of his country better than Murphy certainly would, and again, he's already justified the attacks in great detail, with passionate arguments. This includes a sense of hope, including for the people of Iran.
My full statement:
— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 13, 2025
Israel's attack on Iran, clearly intended to scuttle the Trump Administration's negotiations with Iran, risks a regional war that will likely be catastrophic for America and is further evidence of how little respect world powers - including our own allies -…
Despite the successes of such an attack, though, Murphy is still trying to spin it as a loss, as he lamented the reported losses that Iran is facing.
If anyone is "scrambling," it seems to be the senator.
Trump is scrambling to spin this.
— Chris Murphy 🟧 (@ChrisMurphyCT) June 13, 2025
Netanyahu wasn’t trying to help diplomacy; he was trying to destroy diplomacy. How do we know? They reportedly targeted and killed Iran’s chief negotiator with Trump. https://t.co/VlBvqoYgx7
Iran also does not exactly come off as one that someone can engage in "diplomacy" with. Keyes, in discussing the preemptive attack on Thursday night, perhaps explained it best.
"The reason diplomacy has failed is because Iran's regime will no sooner give up trying to acquire nukes to destroy Israel than you would give up loving your children. It is very hard for western minds to fathom such dedication to such evil. But it remains an unassailable fact," he shared, as he encouraged people to watch Ayatollah Khamenei's speeches, read the media in Iran, and study their texts.
As if these posts and statements weren't wild enough, Murphy actually serves on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. His narrative is not shared by all members, though. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) not only supports Israel, but engaged in a media blitz tour in support of our ally in the Middle East. In the House, Rep. Mike Lawler (R-NY) was one of the first to speak out in support of Israel following news of the attack, as we covered on Thursday night.
It's not merely Republicans, but also actually Murphy's fellow Democrats, who support our ally in the Middle East. Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) is chief among them. Reporting from Jewish Insider also highlighted comments from Reps. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-FL), Ritchie Torres (D-NY), Greg Landsman (D-OH) and Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ).
News of Israel’s attack on Iran broke yesterday at around 8:00 PM. @TedCruz broke it down with:
— Team Cruz (@TeamTedCruz) June 13, 2025
- @SeanHannity 9:15 pm
- @NEWSMAX 9:45 pm
- @NewsNation 10:15 pm
- @BenShapiro 10:30 pm
- @benfergusonshow 11:00 pm.
New Verdict ep. here: https://t.co/BvZNnYfEin https://t.co/0VXRkhgxLm
Our commitment to Israel must be absolute and I fully support this attack.
— U.S. Senator John Fetterman (@SenFettermanPA) June 13, 2025
Keep wiping out Iranian leadership and the nuclear personnel.
We must provide whatever is necessary—military, intelligence, weaponry—to fully back Israel in striking Iran. https://t.co/3lm1YD6dVr
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