Former Obama adviser Ben Rhodes took a shot at Sen. Lindsey Graham, S.C., and his foreign policy credentials on Sunday.
Rhodes responded to a tweet Graham sent praising a speech by Vice President Mike Pence at a security conference in Munich this weekend.
“It’s past time for people to stop pretending that Lindsey Graham is a credible voice on foreign policy,” Rhodes said.
It’s past time for people to stop pretending that Lindsey Graham is a credible voice on foreign policy. https://t.co/1DUxPnPURw
— Ben Rhodes (@brhodes) February 17, 2019
During his speech Saturday, Pence called on European partners to join the U.S. in withdrawing from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal, an Obama-era agreement which offered sanctions relief in exchange for Tehran placing curbs on its nuclear program. Pushing European allies to stop “undermining” U.S. sanctions, Pence said, “Join us as we bring the economic and diplomatic pressure necessary to give the Iranian people, the region, and the world the peace, security, and freedom they deserve.”
Pence also reiterated the president’s position that Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro must step aside as the nation faces an economic crisis and encouraged the international community to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as interim president.
In his tweet, Graham, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, praised the “great speech” by Pence. “He made the case America is economically stronger, more militarily dominant, and a better partner for the world at large due to the past two years of the Trump presidency,” Graham said.
Rhodes, who served as former President Barack Obama’s former deputy national security adviser, has faced GOP scrutiny for his role in dealings with the Iranian government related to the nuclear deal that weren’t all conveyed to Congress.