The letter that 47 United States Senators sent to the government of Iran is below.
This letter has set off something of a firestorm and a potential Constitutional crisis. A massive number of people have signed a petition demanding that the signatories be prosecuted for treason amid questions of whether or not the Senators broke the law.
Meanwhile the senators who signed the letter and the president are standing firm. The news is that the letter will “not derail the agreement.”
Here is the letter in full. You can read the petition here. There is a legible list of the senators who signed the letter at the bottom.
Here, from CNN, is a list for Republican senators who signed the letter. Those who did not sign it are also listed.
Here is the full list of who signed:
Senator Tom Cotton, R-AR
Senator Orrin Hatch, R-UT
Senator Charles Grassley, R-IA
Senator Mitch McConnell, R-KY
Senator Richard Shelby, R-AL
Senator John McCain, R-AZ
Senator James Inhofe, R-OK
Senator Pat Roberts, R-KS
Senator Jeff Sessions, R-AL
Senator Michael Enzi, R-WY
Senator Michael Crapo, R-ID
Senator Lindsey Graham, R-SC
Senator John Cornyn, R-TX
Senator Richard Burr, R-NC
Senator John Thune, R-SD
Senator Johnny Isakson, R-GA
Senator David Vitter, R-LA
Senator John A. Barrasso, R-WY
Senator Roger Wicker, R-MS
Senator Jim Risch, R-ID
Senator Mark Kirk, R-IL
Senator Roy Blunt, R-MO
Senator Jerry Moran, R-KS
Senator Rob Portman, R-OH
Senator John Boozman, R-AR
Senator Pat Toomey, R-PA
Senator John Hoeven, R-ND
Senator Marco Rubio, R-FL
Senator Ron Johnson, R-WI
Senator Rand Paul, R-KY
Senator Mike Lee, R-UT
Senator Kelly Ayotte, R-NH
Senator Dean Heller, R-NV
Senator Tim Scott, R-SC
Senator Ted Cruz, R-TX
Senator Deb Fischer, R-NE
Senator Shelley Moore Capito, R-WV
Senator Bill Cassidy, R-LA
Senator Cory Gardner, R-CO
Senator James Lankford, R-OK
Senator Steve Daines, R-MT
Senator Mike Rounds, R-SD
Senator David Perdue, R-GA
Senator Thom Tillis, R-NC
Senator Joni Ernst, R-IA
Senator Ben Sasse, R-NE
Senator Dan Sullivan, R-AK
Here is the list of those who didn’t sign:
Senator Lamar Alexander, R-TN
Senator Susan Collins, R-ME
Senator Bob Corker, R-TN
Senator Dan Coats, R-IN
Senator Thad Cochran, R-MS
Senator Jeff Flake, R-AZ
Senator Lisa Murkowski, R-AK
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The Constitutional crisis was started by the man with the pen and phone. Not to mention saying he could make an international agreement without congressional approval. That is against the Constitution. For everybody hyperventilating, please replace President Obama with George Bush and Tom Cotton with Harry Reid and see how you “feel” about this.
Forgive this question, Rebecca, but isn’t what the letter says factual? That unless the Senate ratifies the treaty, it is not binding on the U.S.? I’ll keep my opinions of the second part of the letter to myself; just looking for verification that the assertion that the treaty isn’t binding unless the Senate ratifies it. (Hey, high school civics was a VERY long time ago, ok?)
It doesn’t appear the contents of the letter are treasonous. Politically motivated grandstanding, absolutely. Treasonous? No.
That’s part of the problem Cathy Louise. Presidents have been entering into “agreements” without Congress for a long time now. This is a plain violation of the intent of the Constitution that the Senate must ratify treaties. I’ll answer this in detail in a post later today.
Honest reaction?
After the immigration executive order overreach (to name just one example) by the Executive Branch, and the legislation of Roe Vs. Wade (to name just one example) from the bench of the Judiciary Branch, and the pass-whatever-federal-laws of the Legislative Branch, I don’t know if anyone in power in the government HASN’T been bending the Constitution for their own aims. Let he who would voluntarily give up the authority that was never his to begin with throw the first stone.
Crisis? Yes, but it’s not as if we haven’t had one for the last few… uh… let me get back to you on that.