Influential New York Sen. Chuck Schumer (D) has announced his opposition to President Obama’s Iran nuclear deal.
In what had the feel of a typical Friday news dump, Schumer made his bombshell announcement last night while a majority of the political world was engaged in watching the GOP presidential debates.
Via CNN:
New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, an influential Jewish Democrat who’s poised to assume leadership of his party in the Senate, will oppose President Barack Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran, he announced on Thursday evening.
“After deep study, careful thought and considerable soul-searching, I have decided I must oppose the agreement and will vote yes on a motion of disapproval,” Schumer wrote in a 1,600-word post on the website Medium.
“I will vote to disapprove the agreement, not because I believe war is a viable or desirable option, nor to challenge the path of diplomacy,” he added later. “It is because I believe Iran will not change, and under this agreement it will be able to achieve its dual goals of eliminating sanctions while ultimately retaining its nuclear and non-nuclear power.”
Schumer’s thinking on the deal has been closely watched since the plan to loosen sanctions on Tehran in exchange for access to potential nuclear sites was announced in early July.
Schumer’s colleague in the Senate, Kirsten Gillibrand, proved her devotion to the president earlier, saying she would back the agreement.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Eliot Engel, announced last week that he would oppose the deal, despite having a face-to-face meeting with Obama.
Schumer reportedly made the decision “only after enough Democratic support was assured to keep the plan intact,” according to CNN.
When asked if Schumer would try to persuade others to vote no to a deal he believes is dangerous, the man who could be the next Senate leader shied away, saying:
There are some who believe that I can force my colleagues to vote my way. While I will certainly share my view and try to persuade them that the vote to disapprove is the right one, in my experience with matters of conscience and great consequence like this, each member ultimately comes to their own conclusion.
Cross-posted at the Mental Recession
