Schatz Makes His Case for Iran Deal on MSNBC
The Hawaii senator says he聽was lobbied from both sides but decided his vote was ultimately an “issue of conscience.”
Appearing Thursday on the聽MSNBC show “All In with Chris Hayes,” U.S. Sen. Brian Schatz said聽the agreement between Iran and the U.S. and five other countries regarding nuclear development is a good one.
The Democrat from Hawaii said many critics of the agreement, including a lot of聽Republicans, rejected the deal before they had even read it or been briefed on the matter.
Schatz, who said聽he has read the agreement, acknowledged that聽he had been lobbied furiously from people on both sides of the debate. But for him the Iran deal was ultimately an “issue of conscience,” not a political cause.
He called Chuck Schumer, the senator聽from New York who is the most prominent Democrat opposing the聽deal, a “very good friend” who he expects will be his聽party’s leader in the next Congress.
Asked how he felt about being grouped with “high-profile Jewish politicians,” Schatz said it was not unreasonable to be singled out.
He made the analogy of a Japanese-American senator receiving extra attention on matters involving Japan, for example, or a Latino senator when an issue concerned the Hispanic community.
Schatz pointed out that Jewish-American leaders are split on the Iran deal, as is the American public.
On Monday, Schatz became the first (and so far, only) member of Hawaii’s delegation to take a position on the Iran agreement.
The Senate and the U.S. House of Representatives are expected to formally debate聽and vote on the聽agreement next month.
