Escalating GOP charges that President Obama is operating outside the law, a key House lawmaker charged that the administration’s plan to ignore legislation curtailing visas to Iranian visitors is a move to bolster the president’s legacy that endangers the nation.
“The commander in chief’s top priority should be the safety of our nation, not his legacy,” said Rep. Darrell Issa, a top member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
“Iran is a State Sponsor of Terrorism and a known supporter of Hezbollah and Hamas, which the president does not dispute. However, his administration has spent years negotiating with and coddling Iran to produce an unacceptable and dangerous agreement,” he added of the recently finalized Iran nuclear deal.
At issue is an element in the newly passed omnibus appropriations bill that amended the visa waiver program to require that visitors from terror hotspots, including Iran, receive extra scrutiny before landing in the U.S.
Over the weekend, however, Secretary of State John Kerry assured Iran that the president would work around the new law.
“We have a number of potential tools available to us, including multiple entry ten-year business visas, programs for expediting business visas, and the waiver authority provided under the new legislation,” Kerry said.
Issa, and fellow Rep. Michael McCaul, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, blasted the plan to circumvent the law. Issa also posted concerns on Facebook: “The Obama administration plans to circumvent common sense security enhancements that will protect the American people from terrorism in a misguided attempt to please Iran and preserve his ill-fated nuclear deal. The Commander-in-Chief’s top priority should be the safety of our nation, not his legacy.”
Below is his full statement issued late Tuesday night:
Today, Congressman Darrell Issa (R-CA), a senior member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, released the following statement regarding the Obama Administration’s plan to implement only a portion of the recent changes made by Congress to the Visa Waiver Program with regard to Iran:
“Iran is a State Sponsor of Terrorism and a known supporter of Hezbollah and Hamas, which the President does not dispute. However, his administration has spent years negotiating with and coddling Iran to produce an unacceptable and dangerous agreement.
“That agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, is neither a treaty nor a law. Conversely, the commonsense, bipartisan national security protections, which took the form of changes to the Visa Waiver Program, were passed by Congress and signed into law just days ago.
“Before the ink has even dried, the Obama Administration has already expressed its desire to defy the will of Congress and put the President’s legacy above the security of the American people. These changes were made in response to the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernadino. The Commander-in-Chief’s top priority should be the safety of our nation, not his legacy.”
In an interview today, Representative Issa was quoted as saying, “this is about the President’s legacy over the American people’s security. When you have 407 out of 435 Members of Congress all agreeing that we need to tighten up security to protect America, it’s not something that the President has the freedom to waive.” See the full interview here: https://www.facebook.com/darrellissa/videos/10153354278417993/
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected].
