Indiana Rep Carson refuses to agree or disagree with State Department's designation of Hamas as terrorist org

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Rep. Carson blasts fellow Dem calling his 'no' vote on Israel support 'despicable'

Rep. André Carson told CNN that he considered his Democratic colleague Josh Gottheimer's attack against his "no" vote against condemning Hamas "cowardly."

Rep. Andre Carson, D-Ind., dodged questions Thursday on whether he agreed with Hamas being designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the State Department years ago.

Hamas is a group of Iranian-backed terrorists that was designated as an FTO by the State Department on Oct. 8, 1997.

On Thursday, Carson was walking toward his ride after finishing up a press conference calling for a cease-fire in Gaza with House representatives Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich; Cori Bush, D-Mo.; Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.; Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y.; and Rep. Ro Khanna, D-Calif., when a reporter with the Daily Caller News Foundation approached him with a question.

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U.S. Rep. Andre Carson, D-Ind. (Jacquelyn Martin-Pool)

"Congressman, do you agree with the State Department’s designation of Hamas as a terrorist organization," the reporter asked.

"Well, I certainly feel like now is the time for us to really talk about the establishment of a proper state for the people of Palestine," Carson said. "This cannot continue. These useless and destructive resolutions cannot continue to go on to gain political points. As I’ve said before, I condemn the attack on Oct. 7, but we cannot bully our way into this."

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Palestinian Hamas terrorists with an armored vehicle in 2017 in Gaza City, Gaza. (Abid Katib/Getty Images/File)

After failing to answer the question, the reporter pressed Carson again, asking whether he agreed or disagreed with the State Department’s designation.

Fox News Digital reached out to Carson for clarity on whether he agrees with Hamas being a designated FTO, but did not immediately hear back.

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"I agree with the majority of the American people," Carson told the Daily Caller reporter. "I think that antisemitism needs to be condemned. I think that Islamophobia needs to be condemned. I certainly think anti-blackness needs to be condemned, and I certainly think that this is the time for us to look at our disagreements, look at the critiques on both sides, extract the truths from those critiques and work together toward a workable solution, because I fear in 2024, this issue will impact elections."