CHARLESTON, W.Va. — Congressman Alex Mooney appeared at a roundtable discussion Sunday afternoon in Charleston to hear citizens concerns on the recent Iran deal.
Several residents, many of them members of the Jewish community, filled a room at the Old Daniel Boone Hotel to voice their concerns.
“I think it’s a very bad deal and it falls well short of eliminating the Iranian pathway to a nuclear weapon,” said David Abramowitz, who organized the event.
Mooney said the deal has been a hot topic among his fellow congressmen, but he wanted to hear concerns before he decides on how to vote.
“We’ve entered into the 60-day review period on the bill that President Obama has negotiated with Iran,” Mooney explained. “I think it’s important I hear from my constituents before I have to cast that vote after the August recess. We’ll be back in September and this is obviously going to be an important issue of discussion.
Abramowitz didn’t see any reason to trust Iran, which is why he was skeptical of the deal, noting that it’s an “American issue and not an Israel or a Jewish issue.”
“Iran has to come clean on their prior programs for military weaponization,” he said. They have not done that. They have not answered the IAEA questions. There were twelve questions and they’ve answered half of one question.”
Mooney had similar concerns and said in the discussion that the issue was personal to him because he has a mother who escaped the tyrannical regime of Fidel Castro.
“My mother’s an immigrant from Cuba. I do think there are tyrants in the world who need to be stood up to. I’m concerned about enabling a terroristic country to get a nuclear weapon and cause damage.”
Mooney’s number one concern was that while the deal may delay Iran obtaining a nuclear weapon, it doesn’t necessarily prohibit it entirely.
Obama could veto a “no” vote on the deal even if passed both chambers in Congress, which means Republicans would need many Democrats to join them in opposition to overturn the deal.