Senator Cotton is emerging as one of President Trump’s strongest supporters.
President Donald Trump is facing a lot of pushback over his plan to decertify the Iran nuclear accords. The President and his Secretary of State Rex Tillerson have also been clashing over North Korea. Now, Republican Senator Tom Cotton is also weighing in, and he’s got a simple message: get with the program or see yourself out the door.
Cotton is pushing for Administration officials to either get with the program or to get out of the way.
Despite the growing rift between Trump and Republicans in Congress, Cotton remains close with the President. Cotton has been advising the President of foreign policies and other issues. Recently, Trump has come to blows with Republican Senator Bob Corker, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. Corker was once a Trump supporter, but the two have been feuding on Twitter.
Cotton, however, remains a staunch supporter of Trump. And now he’s pushing for Administration officials to either get with the program or to get out of the way. Cotton said that their “job is now to move out and execute.” These comments appear to be directed at Mattis and Tillerson. Alternatively, Cotton stated “if you feel strongly enough, then you have to resign” in regards to anyone who won’t pursue the President’s vision.
In a recent meeting with Congress, Mattis disagreed vocally with the President on Iran.
Rex Tillerson has been seen by many as one of President Trump’s better choices for a Secretary spot. Tillerson was a widely respected oil executive with international experience. Many believed that he would bring business-driven reform to the State Department while also soothing over tensions abroad. However, rumors have been circulating that Trump and Tillerson have been disagreeing widely over a variety of issues.
General Mattis hasn’t thrown any of that shade at the President. However, in a recent meeting with Congress, Mattis disagreed vocally with the President on Iran. President Trump has been focusing on Iran in recent days. Many Washington insiders believe that Trump will move this week to decertify the nuclear accords with Iran.
Reportedly, Senator Cotton has been meeting with the President privately to discuss Iran. Infamously, Cotton drafted an open letter that was directed towards the Iranian government. In the letter, Cotton drove home the point that Congress must approve of any international treaties.
The letter concluded with a somewhat ominous statement:
“What these two constitutional provisions mean is that we will consider any agreement regarding your nuclear-weapons program that is not approved by the Congress as nothing more than an executive agreement between President Obama and Ayatollah Khamenei. The next president could revoke such an executive agreement with the stroke of a pen and future Congresses could modify the terms of the agreement at any time.”
Cotton has long been opposed to the Iran nuclear deal. If the President is working closely with Cotton to draft an Iran strategy, it’s possible that the President will move aggressively to get out of the deal. Many analysts are expecting a soft walk back from the Iranian nuclear deal.
Don’t be surprised, however, if President Trump moves more aggressively.
