Inside the Kerry Briefing of 'Skeptical and Quiet' Senators on Iran Deal

One of the key senators who has earned the ire of the White House by his determination to keep Iran from nuclear weapons capability said today’s closed-door administration briefing was more talking, less listening.

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Secretary of State John Kerry and Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, who were at the negotiating table in Switzerland, and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew met with House lawmakers on Monday and senators today, trying to whip them to the position of not taking any actions on Iran as the P5+1 works on a final deal.

Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), co-author of the sanctions bill with Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), told reporters after the meeting that “several members seemed to be skeptical,” including Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Ben Cardin (D-Md.).

Kirk branded the overall mood in the room as “skeptical and quiet,” but when it came to their myriad questions and concerns the administration essentially filibustered.

“Moniz went on for a while,” he said, adding some senators were “upset” as they were given “no time for questions … only a few questions” made it through.

On the stark differences between Iran’s position on the nuclear framework and Washington’s assertions, “they just glossed over it,” Kirk said.

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The senator has not only prepared a chart that compares the differences between the two countries’ statements, from inspections to sanctions, but has a list of all Americans killed by Iran’s state sponsorship of terrorism.

Kerry “just asked us to hold off,” but “there was no veto threat in the room.”

Still, Kirk knows that President Obama has not abandoned his veto threat, and is “so emotionally invested in this” he would make the “mistake” of a veto.

The senator accused the White House of pushing the deal on purpose. “They want to get it through the presidential election because they want a Democrat in the White House,” Kirk said. “That was obvious.”

“…It’s clear the Iranians are delaying because they have not finished their nuclear weapon yet.”

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