Nikki Haley slams Biden push for seat on ‘sham’ Human Rights Council with ‘tyrants,' 'dictators’

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Nikki Haley: Biden 'snubbing' Israel, 'cozying up' to Iran

Former U.N. Ambassador reacts to Biden's foreign policy agenda on 'Fox News Primetime'

Former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley on Wednesday slammed the Biden administration’s move to reclaim a seat on the controversial Human Rights Council – noting that the Geneva-based body’s table includes "tyrants & dictators."

"The Biden admin wants a seat back at the table w/ tyrants & dictators," Haley tweeted.

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"The US should not give credibility to the sham UN Human Rights Council," she said. "A group that covers for the world's worst human rights violators and spends most of its time attacking Israel."

Haley was reacting to Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s announcement Wednesday that the U.S. will push for a seat on the council – which the U.S. left in 2018 over its membership and anti-U.S. bias. Biden had promised to rejoin the council during the 2020 presidential campaign.

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Haley was U.N. ambassador when the U.S. left and described the council in no uncertain terms at that time as ""a protector of human rights abusers, and a cesspool of political bias."

Her remarks were bolstered in subsequent years by the continued election of countries with poor records on human rights to the council. Cuba, China and Russia were elected the council last year. Saudi Arabia was on the ballot but failed to drum up enough support to win a seat.

The Trump administration branded their election a "mockery."

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A year earlier, the U.N. General Assembly elected Libya, Sudan and Venezuela to the Council. Venezuela in particular drew astonishment for its election, considering it has seen massive human rights abuses and mass poverty under the socialist Maduro regime.

In July, 53 countries at the U.N., led by Cuba, came out in support of China’s national security law – a law that has formed the basis of the crackdown on the people of Hong Kong.

On Wednesday, Blinken said the U.S. will seek a three-year term starting next year, while also acknowledging that the body is in need of reform and needs to stop focusing so much on Israel.

He also raised concern about Chinese abuses of minorities in the Xinjiang region and the Russian crackdown against opposition politicians and protesters.

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"The United States is placing democracy and human rights at the center of our foreign policy because they’re essential for peace and stability," Blinken said.

Blinken also said countries "with the worst human rights record should not be members of this council." 

The Associated Press contributed to this report.