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Foreign PolicyDid 47 U.S. Senators Just Commit Treason By Attempting to Sabotage Iran Deal?
News that 47 Republican senators sent a signed letter to Iran's leaders warning them against cutting a deal with the Obama administration had many Americans openly questioning whether the action constituted treason.
The letter, organized by Senator Tom Cotton, a freshman from Arkansas, warned Iranthat "...we will consider any agreement regarding your nuclear-weapons program that is not approved by the Congress as nothing more than an executive agreement between President Obama and Ayatollah Khamenei. The next president could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen and future Congresses could modify the terms of the agreement at any time."
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the letter's goal was to "undermine" negotiations with Iran, but also noted that if the Obama administration reached an agreement over Iran's nuclear program that it would not be a treaty subject to congressional ratification.
"Republicans are undermining our commander in chief while empowering the ayatollahs."
Harry Reid
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, meanwhile, said it was highly unusual for a political party to insert itself into a foreign policy negotiation in opposition to the president.
"Republicans are undermining our commander in chief while empowering the ayatollahs," he said from the Senate floor Monday. "We should always have robust debate about foreign policy, but it's unprecedented for one political party to directly intervene in an international negotiation with the sole goal of embarrassing the president of the United States."
On Twitter, many observers were quick to call the move by Senate Republicans "treason."
This is treason, GOP Senators. You're being treasonous. You are traitors. Literally.- Simon Byrd (@Uosdwis) March 9, 2015[/QUOTE]
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-03-09/did-47-u-s-senators-just-commit-treason-by-attempting-to-sabotage-iran-deal-
Foreign PolicyDid 47 U.S. Senators Just Commit Treason By Attempting to Sabotage Iran Deal?
News that 47 Republican senators sent a signed letter to Iran's leaders warning them against cutting a deal with the Obama administration had many Americans openly questioning whether the action constituted treason.
The letter, organized by Senator Tom Cotton, a freshman from Arkansas, warned Iranthat "...we will consider any agreement regarding your nuclear-weapons program that is not approved by the Congress as nothing more than an executive agreement between President Obama and Ayatollah Khamenei. The next president could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen and future Congresses could modify the terms of the agreement at any time."
White House press secretary Josh Earnest said the letter's goal was to "undermine" negotiations with Iran, but also noted that if the Obama administration reached an agreement over Iran's nuclear program that it would not be a treaty subject to congressional ratification.
"Republicans are undermining our commander in chief while empowering the ayatollahs."
Harry Reid
Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, meanwhile, said it was highly unusual for a political party to insert itself into a foreign policy negotiation in opposition to the president.
"Republicans are undermining our commander in chief while empowering the ayatollahs," he said from the Senate floor Monday. "We should always have robust debate about foreign policy, but it's unprecedented for one political party to directly intervene in an international negotiation with the sole goal of embarrassing the president of the United States."
On Twitter, many observers were quick to call the move by Senate Republicans "treason."
This is treason, GOP Senators. You're being treasonous. You are traitors. Literally.- Simon Byrd (@Uosdwis) March 9, 2015[/QUOTE]
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2015-03-09/did-47-u-s-senators-just-commit-treason-by-attempting-to-sabotage-iran-deal-