The Senate International Relations Committee voted 12-9 to advance the nomination of Jack Lew to be the US ambassador to Israel, in accordance to an individual within the room in the course of the vote, regardless of Republican opposition over Lew’s involvement with the nuclear take care of Iran when he served within the Obama administration.
Chairman Ben Cardin stated he hoped Lew’s nomination would transfer “rapidly” to a full Senate ground vote, and Majority Chief might file cloture on the nomination as quickly as Thursday.
“In my conversations with Senator Schumer, he was wanting to know the way rapidly I might get the nomination out of committee,” stated Cardin.
Lew superior on a party-line vote, besides for Republican Sen. Rand Paul, who voted with Democrats in favor of his nomination.
Cardin stated there are conversations happening about different Republicans probably supporting Lew in a ground vote, and that there’s nonetheless “broad” assist for Israel in its struggle in opposition to Hamas regardless of the divided committee vote.
Final week Lew, defended his report associated to the Iran nuclear deal throughout his affirmation listening to, making clear that he believes the US is coping with “an evil, malign authorities that funds its evil and malign actions first.”
Lew was grilled by Republican members of the committee, notably over questions associated to his function in lifting sanctions in opposition to Iran as half of the 2015 nuclear deal. He was additionally pressed on whether or not the Biden administration can stop Tehran from utilizing funds returned by the US with the lifting of further sanctions for malign actions.
Sen. Jim Risch, the highest Republican on the committee who voted in opposition to Lew, stated after his affirmation listening to final week there have been “actual issues with Jack Lew.”
“I consider that the perfect you may say about it’s he misled congress badly in operation of the JCPOA and certainly assisted Iran in accessing the US monetary system when he had promised us, sitting in the identical chair, that he wouldn’t do this,” stated Risch. “Huge drawback.”
Lew performed a key function within the authentic Iranian nuclear deal in 2015, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fiercely opposed, saying it offers Iran a transparent path to an atomic arsenal. Former President Donald Trump withdrew from the deal in 2018, a transfer that was supported by Israel.
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