President Trump on Thursday blasted Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., for criticizing the withdrawal from the 2015 Iran nuclear deal -- noting that Schumer opposed the deal when then-President Barack Obama negotiated it.
“Senator Cryin’ Chuck Schumer fought hard against the Bad Iran Deal, even going at it with President Obama, & then Voted AGAINST it!” Trump tweeted Thursday. "Now he says I should not have terminated the deal - but he doesn’t really believe that!"
Trump went on to suggest he had done a similar about-face on the firing of former FBI Director James Comey.
Trump announced Tuesday that he was pulling the U.S. out of the Iran deal, which he had long opposed. Trump said the deal had been “so poorly negotiated that even if Iran fully complies, the regime can still be on the verge of a nuclear breakout in just a short period of time.”
In 2015, Schumer praised Obama and then-Secretary of State John Kerry for their work on the agreement, but issued a lengthy statement detailing why he could not support it.
“It is because I believe Iran will not change, and under this agreement it will be able to achieve its dual goals of eliminating sanctions while ultimately retaining its nuclear and non-nuclear power,” he said.
“Better to keep U.S. sanctions in place, strengthen them, enforce secondary sanctions on other nations, and pursue the hard-trodden path of diplomacy once more, difficult as it may be,” he said at the time.
On Wednesday, Schumer said that Iran has not violated the agreement and that Trump's move could damage international cooperation.
“By dividing our allies ... you’re making it harder to go after Hezbollah, you’re making it harder to go after Iranian activities that are really dangerous and you’re probably making it harder to come to a North Korea deal,” he told reporters.
On Thursday, he responded to Trump’s tweet by using first lady Melania Trump’s anti-bullying hashtag: “#BeBest.”