Mast said to confront Rwandan, Jordanian, Qatari ambassadors over relationships with Iran and China: source
The Foreign Affairs chair reportedly said ‘they would have to figure out which side they were on: American or China/Iran’
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 11: U.S. Representative Brian Mast (R-FL) speaks during a House Committee on Foreign Affairs hearing on Capitol Hill on January 11, 2024 in Washington, DC. The Subcommittee on the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia are holding the hearing on the Biden administration's Afghanistan policy. (Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images)
Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL), the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, confronted the ambassadors of Rwanda, Jordan and Qatar, among other countries, over their relationships with U.S. adversaries in China and Iran, at a dinner last night, per a source familiar with the congressman’s remarks.
According to Politico, the Rwandan and Jordanian ambassadors to the United States hosted a dinner honoring Mast, the House Foreign Affairs Committee chair, also attended by the ambassadors of Qatar, Kuwait, France, Luxembourg, Singapore, Switzerland and Costa Rica.
Mast told the leaders “they would have to figure out which side they were on: American or China/Iran,” a source familiar with the situation told Jewish Insider. “Described as like chess. Sometimes you don’t get to choose who is a pawn and a queen, but you get to decide what side you are on.”
Mast is a longtime, and outspoken, pro-Israel lawmaker who volunteered with a group supporting the Israeli Defense Forces following his own military service.