EXCLUSIVE: Top Republican senator blasts Biden for climate 'hypocrisy' by sending Climate Czar John...
Sen. Joni Ernst told DailyMail.com during an exclusive interview that it's a 'sign of full hypocrisy' to have the Biden administration's Climate Czar John Kerry 'jetting around the world in an airplane.' Kerry, the U.S. special envoy on and former secretary of state, flew to this week to conduct meetings on climate change with the communist country's top leadership. Ernst, R-Iowa, said Kerry's trips violate 'all kinds of fossil fuel, flames and emissions' standards that he criticizes everybody else for. 'So I think that the climate czar needs to stay home focus on his green energy policy.' 'So instead of demonizing fossil fuels, let's focus more on pushing back against China,' which is a huge threat to the U.S., Ernst continued. Kerry is the third top Biden administration official to travel to China in recent weeks. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen also have met with their counterparts. He said during the trip this week that he is working to 'change our relationship for the better.' The top Biden official added that the administration is 'very committed to stability within this relationship and also to achieve efforts together that can make a significant difference to the world.' Kerry and top Chinese official Li Qiang discussed the challenge of global warming to both of their nations. Ernst's remarks come as House Republicans are demanding Kerry's flight records to get a bottom line number on how much taxpayers may have spent footing the bills for his government jet flights. GOP Reps. Mike Waltz, Cory Mills and Brian Mast questioned Blinken in a letter obtained by DailyMail.com Tuesday. 'Chartered Military Aircraft (MILAIR) flights are much more costly than flying commercial, and the use of such flights by past presidential cabinet officials have drawn heavy scrutiny for its abuse of taxpayer allocated funds,' the lawmakers wrote. 'Did the State Department consider the carbon emissions of private jet use when approving this travel, particularly in light of John Kerry's current mandate?' they asked. At a hearing before a House Foreign Affairs oversight subcommittee last week, Kerry defended himself saying it is an 'outrageously persistent lie' that he has ever used a private jet to conduct official trips. Kerry, who did not deny in the hearing ever flying on a private jet and has said he's flown on one 'possibly once,' insisted that he personally has never owned a private jet. 'We don't own a private jet. I don't own a private jet. I personally have never owned a private jet.' However, the Kerry family owned a personal jet - a Gulfstream GIV-SP - that was sold in 2022. House GOP Whip Tom Emmer that Kerry, Yellen and Blinken's China trips are a sign of weakness by the administration. 'This is a feckless administration with incompetent policies,' he added. Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla., previously called the Biden administration's plan to send top officials to China a 'policy of desperation.' He said Biden's pattern of meeting with adversaries instead of imposing consequences for their hostile actions . The Florida Republican added that the Biden administration's solution is to 'give lectures' on climate change and diversity, which is not helpful to national security. 'I'm not buying their strategy,' Waltz told DailyMail.com. Ernst torched the Biden administration's foreign policy prowess, saying the president is 'failing' for not paying attention to building a strong military, which is critically important. She added it's key to make sure the U.S. is 'supporting the Ukrainians,' amid the country's war with Russia 'however best we can.' 'We also need to turn to Taiwan and make sure that we're strengthening Taiwan. So if there is any pushback from China, that Taiwan can defend itself.' She said she views Biden's announcement to send a rotation of 3,000 troops to Eastern Europe as a 'typical training rotation' designed to strengthen 'our allies and partnerships in Europe' amid the Russia-Ukraine war.