John Boehner defends Benjamin Netanyahu invitation
House Speaker John Boehner says he didnât tell the White House about inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint meeting of Congress because he âwanted to make sure there was no interferenceâ from the administration. President Barack Obama âdoesnât quite understand that weâre trying to strengthen his hand,â Boehner told host Chris Wallace in an interview aired on âFox News Sunday.â Story Continued Below âThereâs no secret here in Washington about the animosity that this White House has for Prime Minister Netanyahu,â the Ohio Republican said. âI, frankly, didnât want that getting in the way and quashing what I thought was a real opportunity.â Netanyahu, who is scheduled to appear before Congress on March 3, is the âperfect personâ to address the American people on the threat of radical Islamic terrorism and Iran developing nuclear weapons, the speaker reiterated. The prime minister faces an election two weeks later, on March 17. âThereâs a serious threat facing the world, and radical Islamic terrorists are not going to go away,â Boehner said. âItâs an important message that the American people need to hear.â The president last week ruled out an extension of talks past the March 24 deadline for a framework nuclear agreement with Iran, but Boehner says thereâs still interest in hearing Netanyahu. âThereâs bipartisan concern about these discussions with the Iranians,â Boehner said. âFrankly, we want to hear what the prime minister of Israel has to say.â