Reporters at the State Department press briefing broke out in laughter at the mention of the U.S. invading other countries.
During a press briefing on Monday, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller faced a question about how much leverage the U.S. has to influence the course of Israel’s war against Hamas.
“You have so much leverage over the Israelis and this is fundamental vision of the president,” a reporter insisted.
She added, “So you can use all the leverage you want, including weapons that you sell to Israel, to make sure that this plan is at least on the right path for implementation.”
Miller responded, “So, one thing I will say about that that people often tend to forget is that Israel, like other countries in the region, is a sovereign country that makes its own decisions.”
“The United States does not dictate to Israel what it must do, just as we don’t dictate to any country what it must do. We present what we believe…” he said before a reporter made a quip that led to laughter in the room.
Watch the video below:
REPORTER: Don't you have leverage over the Israelis like weapons sales?
— Ken Klippenstein 📎 (@kenklippenstein) February 26, 2024
STATE DEPARTMENT: The US does not dictate to Israel what it must do, just as we don't dictate to any country what it must do —
REPORTER: Unless you invade them.
[laughter]
STATE: Good one…Standup hour… pic.twitter.com/VcmAKFvZDi
The reporter said, “Unless you invade them.”
“We present what we believe,” Miller repeated before he laughing.
He added, “Good one, Matt.”
After regaining his composure, Miller said it was “Stand-up hour in the Briefing Room.”
Finally, he insisted the U.S. presents “what we believe are the best proposals to achieve peace and security.”