President Biden sent his top advisers to Michigan on Thursday to meet with Arab American and Muslim community leaders, and one person invited to the discussion reportedly publicly expressed support for the terrorist group Hezbollah.
Biden made the move with the leaders while facing criticism from the Muslim community for his handling of the war between Israel and Hamas. The Associated Press, which first reported on the forum, said the event positions the administration to “mend ties” with a community that will play a critical role in a battleground state for the 2024 elections.
While the list of attendees was not released, one person the White House reportedly invited to the event was Osama Siblani, editor of Arab American News based in Dearborn, Michigan.
“I am in favor of dialogue and I believe we owe it to our country, our community and the people of Gaza to listen and be heard,” Siblani said of the meeting. He told the outlet that the White House invited him and that he planned to attend.
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Biden reportedly sent senior White House aides to Michigan on Thursday to meet with Arab American and Muslim leaders. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Siblani, meanwhile, appears to be a questionable choice as a participant, as he has openly discussed his support for Hezbollah with major publications in the past.
The Muslim activist supported the organization in 2006 as they fought Israeli forces in southern Lebanon. At the time, the FBI had issued a national alert for law enforcement to investigate and profile Hezbollah sympathizers.
“If the FBI wants to go after those who support the Hezbollah resistance, then they better bring a fleet of buses,” Siblani told the Chicago Tribune. “I, for one, would be willing to go to jail.”
That instance, however, was not the first time he supported the terrorist organization.
Siblani told the Washington Post in 2004 that Al Manar, Hezbollah's television station, was popular among Arab Americans because of its unwavering support for the “resistance against the Israeli occupation.”
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One of the people allegedly invited was Osama Siblani, who expressed his support for Hezbollah. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Siblani's show of gratitude toward Al Manar came after the State Department designated the outlet as a supporter of terrorism and banned it in the United States.
He also added that he disagreed with the State Department that Al Manar “incites violence.”
The White House hosted Thursday's discussion between Siblani and Biden's community leaders and senior advisers, including Samantha Power, administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development, Jon Finer, principal deputy national security adviser, and Steven Benjamin, director. of the Office of Public Participation.
The sources who spoke to The Associated Press did so on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Biden sent aides to Michigan because community leaders disagree with his war stance between Israel and Hamas.
“Joe Biden is a traitor to America,” Alex Pfeiffer, spokesperson for Make America Great Again Inc., told Fox News Digital. “After spending decades enriching himself and his family through corrupt dealings with America's enemies , is now selling out America's closest ally and friend to terrorists.”
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“This meeting is an affront to the dozens of Americans and hundreds of Israelis who lost their lives on October 7, and to the millions of Israelis who wake up every morning under the siege of Islamic terrorism,” Pfeiffer said.
The White House and Siblani did not respond to Fox News Digital's requests for comment at the time of publication.
