Boehner Not ‘Poking Anyone in the Eye’ by Inviting Israeli PM to Speak to Congress

ABC News(WASHINGTON) — House Speaker John Boehner said on Wednesday that he didn’t think he was “poking anyone in the eye” when he invited Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak in front of Congress next month.

Earlier in the day, the Ohio Republican said in a statement that he would ask Netanyahu “to address Congress on the grave threats radical Islam and Iran pose to our security and way of life.” Boehner’s decision to invite Netanyahu was based in part on the fact that “Americans and Israelis have always stood together in shared cause and common ideals, and now we must rise to the moment again.”

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest had no comment on the invitation, saying that judgment would wait until the White House spoke with the prime minister. Typically, Earnest suggested, the leader of one country would contact the leader of another before traveling. This invitation, he added, “seems to be a departure from that protocol.”

Boehner admitted that he didn’t consult the White House on the invitation. “The Congress can make this decision on its own,” the speaker said. “I don’t believe I’m poking anyone in the eye.”

“There is a serious threat that exists in the world and the president, last night, kind of papered over it,” Boehner claimed. “The fact is, is there needs to be a more serious conversation in America about how serious the threat is from radical Islamic jihadists and the threat posed by Iran.”

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