The Hill, 31 July 2015
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) is challenging the Obama administration to share any “side deals” with Iran with the American public.
“The American people deserve to see the secret side deals,” reads text in a new YouTube video released by his office on Friday.
“The American people deserve a better deal with Iran,” it adds.
The senator released the video a day after White House press secretary Josh Earnest targeted Cotton for his opposition to the Iran deal, which would lift sanctions on Iran in exchange for limits on its nuclear program.
Cotton’s YouTube video opens with footage of Earnest’s statement during Thursday’s White House press briefing.
It then shows multiple Obama administration officials – including Secretary of State John Kerry and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz – responding to lawmakers’ questions about whether Iran has any extra deals with the IAEA.
“Secret side deals? Not-so-secret side deals?” the video’s text asks. “The only mystery is why this administration can’t keep its story straight.”
Cotton, a vocal critic of the deal, wrote an open letter last March vowing that Congress will undo any final deal it finds unsatisfactory.
Lawmakers are in the middle of a 60-day period during which they can pass a resolution either approving or disapproving of the Iran deal.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) introduced a resolution on Thursday arguing lawmakers’ review period should extend past September.
He said members of Congress cannot accurately gauge the deal because the White House has not disclosed all of Iran’s side terms with the IAEA.