House Speaker Kevin McCarthy's hint that he may host embattled Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington is being hammered for interfering in foreign policy -- something that falls far beyond the responsibilities of his job.
In a column for MSNBC, analyst Zeeshan Aleem accused the California Republican of straying outside his lane in an attempt to show up President Joe Biden who is balking at meeting with the prime minister.
As Aleem explains, Netanyahu is reeling after accusations of trying to "overhaul Israel’s system of government to accumulate power for himself," and the Biden administration wants to keep him at arm's length.
According to the analyst, McCarthy's interference is an "extraordinary maneuver," and an attempt at a power grab.
"By signaling he’d be willing to invite the prime minister directly to Congress, McCarthy is simultaneously pressuring Biden to give up his objections to Netanyahu and warning Biden that he’s willing to break convention to make him look weak during negotiations over the debt ceiling," Aleem wrote.
He then added, "McCarthy is not a member of the Biden administration, and his party does not control the White House — he doesn’t have the authority to signal the U.S.’s diplomatic posture. Of course, McCarthy knows that. His goal was to undercut the authority of the White House by threatening to invite Netanyahu to address Congress directly without Biden’s blessing. "
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