Indiana Rep. Andre Carson refuses to agree or disagree with the State Department’s designation of Hamas as a terrorist organization.
Rep. Andre Carson, D-Ind., dodged questions Thursday about whether he agreed with Hamas being designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the State Department years ago.
Hamas is a group of Iranian-backed terrorists that was designated an FTO by the State Department on October 8, 1997.
On Thursday, Carson was walking to his vehicle after finishing a news conference calling for a ceasefire in Gaza with House Reps. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.; Cori Bush, D-Missouri; Ilhan Omar, Democrat of Minnesota; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.; and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., when approached with a question by a Daily Caller News Foundation reporter.
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U.S. Rep. Andre Carson, D-Indiana. (Jacquelyn Martin-Pool)
“Congressman, do you agree with the State Department’s designation of Hamas as a terrorist organization?” the journalist asked.
“Well, I certainly feel that now is the time to really talk about establishing a proper state for the people of Palestine,” Carson said. “This cannot continue. These useless and destructive resolutions cannot continue to score political points. As I have said before, I condemn the October 7 attack, but we cannot get to this through intimidation.”
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Palestinian Hamas terrorists with an armored vehicle in 2017 in Gaza City, Gaza. (Abid Katib/Getty Images/File)
After not answering the question, the journalist pressed Carson again, asking if he agreed or disagreed with the State Department’s designation.
Fox News Digital reached out to Carson to clarify whether he agrees with Hamas being a designated FTO, but did not immediately receive a response.
“I agree with the majority of the American people,” Carson told the Daily Caller reporter. “I think it’s necessary to condemn anti-Semitism. I think it’s necessary to condemn Islamophobia. I certainly think it’s necessary to condemn anti-blackness, and I certainly think this is the time for us to look at our disagreements, look at the criticisms from both sides, extract the truths from those criticisms and work together towards a viable solution, because I fear that in 2024, this issue will affect the elections.
