Reid: Iran letter 'not a joke'

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid has a message for the 47 Senate Republicans who signed onto a letter to Iranian leadership: “This is not a joke.”

Reid said Wednesday morning that the ramifications of the letter, which was signed by all but seven GOP senators, are serious. The missive actually works against the United States’ efforts to keep Iran from developing nuclear arms, the Nevada Democrat argued.


“I’m disappointed that some of my Republican colleagues are destroying the long tradition of bipartisanship in defending Israel and stopping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon,” Reid said on the Senate floor. “We’re witnessing a fundamental test of Republicans’ ability to govern. They’re treating nuclear negotiations as a chance to play political games.”

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), who wrote the letter, hit back at his critics by arguing on Fox News on Tuesday evening that the letter is actually focused on “stopping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.” And though Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) did not address the political firestorm regarding the letter during his floor speech Wednesday morning, he defended his signature on it a day earlier.

“All of us should be suspicious of an administration that’s so intent from keeping the elected representatives of the American people out of this deal,” McConnell said.