House Republicans, like Rep. Elise Stefanik, are going after President Biden's State Department for expressing condolences over the death of Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi. (Getty Images)
"Sec. Blinken’s weak leadership and eagerness to appease the hostile Iranian regime reflects Biden’s policy of rolling over for our nation's adversaries."
Raisi and Iran’s foreign minister were declared dead on Monday following a helicopter crash in a mountainous area of northwest Iran, the country’s state TV reported.
The late conservative cleric was known for taking a brutal approach to silencing dissent, beginning in the 1980s when he was part of a four-judge panel accused of ordering the executions of as many as 30,000 political dissidents, according to some reports.
As president, he also oversaw a harsh government response to mass protests over the killing of a 22-year-old woman who was accused of not wearing her hijab properly.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer called the State Department statement "absurd."
State Department spokesman Matt Miller defended the U.S. position when confronted about the controversy during a Monday afternoon press conference.
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"We have been quite clear that Ebrahim Raisi was a brutal participant in the repression of the Iranian people for nearly four decades," Miller said. "That said, we regret any loss of life. We don't want to see anyone die in a helicopter crash. But that doesn't change the reality of his record, both as a judge and as the president of Iran – the fact that he has blood on his hands. So I think most importantly, our fundamental approach to Iran has not changed and will not change."
Fox News Digital reached out to the State Department for further comment.
Elizabeth Elkind is a politics reporter for Fox News Digital leading coverage of the House of Representatives. Previous digital bylines seen at Daily Mail and CBS News.
Follow on Twitter at @liz_elkind and send tips to elizabeth.elkind@fox.com
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/new-low-biden-admin-eviscerated-response-butcher-tehran-raisis-death