Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, on Wednesday took a Trump State Department official to the woodshed, slamming her “Orwellian” response as she stonewalled rather than explain why the administration was allowing Iran to continue its nuclear research activities.
As I’ve previously noted, while President Trump has taken many important steps to unwind the Iran deal after publicly pulling out of it, much work remains. One of the most glaring problems that has persisted has been the odd insistence of the administration to continue to allow nuclear research in the bunkered Fordow facility.
“How is it possibly in our best interest to allow Iran to continue doing nuclear research in the Fordow bunker that was built in the side of the mountain to be able to develop nuclear weapons to use to murder Americans?” Cruz asked in a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “How is that in our best interest?”
After witness Andrea L. Thompson, the under secretary of state for arms control and international security, said she would answer privately, Cruz followed up by saying the public, and his constituents, deserved an answer.
“Absolutely senator, so I will give the answer to the American people, to all those in Texas, and to friends and family back in South Dakota,” Thompson said. “This president, this secretary, myself, and everyone in this administration will stand for what’s right for the safety and security of the American people, bar none.”
A frustrated Cruz responded that her response did not even “remotely” answer the question.
“The decision made by this administration and with the secretary for this last round is always in the interest of the American people, senator, thank you,” she said.
Cruz, flabbergasted by the answer, said, “That is a stunning Orwellian position. Let me be the first to say that I don’t believe that’s true in any administration, that any decision an elected official makes or an appointed official makes is by definition in the interests of the American people — and that’s one of the reasons Congress has oversight responsibility.”
Watch the whole exchange below:
The @StateDept is allowing #Iran to continue doing research in their nuclear bunker at Fordow, which Iran dug into the side of a mountain to build nuclear weapons. They are unwilling to explain to the American people why they’re doing it. pic.twitter.com/j8L2YvPAgI
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) May 15, 2019
