| Congressman Ryan Mackenzie lied to the people of the Lehigh Valley.
New reporting reveals that Mackenzie explicitly campaigned against “regime change” and “bombing Iran” – but has now “voted four times” in Congress to spend billions of dollars to do exactly that. The report even reveals that Mackenzie attacked his then-opponent as a “neocon” for supporting the very same policies he now rubberstamps.
The exchange highlights how Mackenzie has completely flip-flopped and is now responsible for spending billions of dollars on a reckless war overseas, forcing Lehigh Valley families to pay more for everything from gas to groceries.
Watch the exchange here and read the report for yourself below:
- Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA) criticized his GOP opponent for supporting “regime change” and “bombing Iran” while a candidate for Congress in 2024, even as the congressman has since voted four times to uphold the war.
- Mackenzie, who represents one of the most competitive districts in the country, criticized Kevin Dellicker as a “neocon” in the 2024 Republican primary for his Pennsylvania House seat, and said regime change and attacking Iran were the “wrong solution” that would lead to “forever wars.”
- “What we hear is the neocon talking points out of Kevin Dellicker in an email that he put out when Iran did attack some of our interests in the Middle East,” Mackenzie said during a March 2024 debate. “He said that there were a couple of options on the table: bombing Iran, or regime change. That will lead to war with Iran, that will lead to American troops on the ground in Iran.” […] “Those are the two options that Kevin is supporting, they’re both the wrong solution.”
- His subsequent war powers votes underscore the political tightrope now facing Republicans, particularly those who ran under the “America First” banner and have generally opposed sending troops into harm’s way. Mackenzie is among the Republicans who say Congress shouldn’t weaken the president’s “leverage” and tie his hands with a vote to end hostilities.
- Mackenzie positioned himself as an “America First” Republican throughout his 2024 campaign […]
- And though he’s continued that posture since his election, Democrats are eager to use the Iran conflict to claim a double standard on the part of Republicans. Earlier this month, Bob Brooks, his general election opponent, posted, “What changed buddy?” after Mackenzie’s third vote on the Iran war.
- Brooks and other Democrats are hoping to exploit public sentiment against the war and have used the same line of attack in other races. According to a recent Fox News poll, 58% of voters think the United States made the wrong decision in launching the war in late February.
|
