Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy said Tuesday that he aided a Republican congressman’s efforts to evacuate Americans from Israel.
Republican Rep. Cory Mills of Florida went to Israel to assist Americans who wished to leave the country after Hamas launched a terrorist attack on Oct. 7. Ramaswamy funded a charter flight from Arkia Airlines capable of carrying 218 people that departed from Tel Aviv Monday morning, a spokesperson for the Ramaswamy campaign told the Daily Caller News Foundation. (RELATED: ‘Chose To Be Houdini’: Kayleigh McEnany Slams Biden’s Response To Americans Stuck In Israel Amid Attack)
“I believe in putting my money where my mouth is,” Ramaswamy told Fox News host Harris Faulkner.
“Our family’s foundation was proud to support some of the efforts organized by Congressman Cory Mills to get Americans safely out of Israel,” he continued. “We were proud to support chartering a flight with over 200 seats on it that actually left Tel Aviv and by way of Cyprus, then bringing Americans safe passage home on that journey. We were proud to partner with Cory Mills and his team. I believe in standing as an American for fellow Americans to get them out of harm’s way.”
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Multiple airlines cancelled flights to and from Israel following its military operations against Hamas, the Associated Press reported. President Joe Biden told Americans in Israel to take commercial flights out of the country hours after the flight cancellations were announced.
“The motivation to do it was seeing the slowness of the Biden Administration and seeing reports that even when the government was helping people get out, they had to pay for the flights,” Ramaswamy told Faulkner. “I respect the efforts of others, in my case we are using our own money through our family foundation to do it.”
“I am a big believer, Harris, that yes, there are many changes that we need to drive through politics, that’s why I am running for U.S. president,” Ramaswamy continued. “I don’t want to wait until then to drive change that we can be having with a positive impact today, and that’s part of the spirit I want to set an example for everybody. Just because you’re not in political office doesn’t mean you can’t drive positive change. If you see the government falling short, for those of us that can do it philanthropically, that have been blessed with the American dream in this country, it is our responsibility to do it.”
Mills did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the DCNF.
“If Biden can’t or simply won’t get Americans out, we’re taking matters into our own hands to get Americans to safety,” Ramaswamy told the DCNF through a spokesperson.
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