GOP senators slam Biden for working with Russia on Iran Deal during Ukraine invasion: 'Insane'
The senators also criticized Biden's resistance to opening up drilling in the United States
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A group of Republican senators slammed President Biden during a press conference Wednesday and sharply criticized him for working with Russia on a nuclear deal with Iran while Russian President Vladimir Putin unleashes chaos and bloodshed in Ukraine.
"This Iran Deal if and when it is announced will be a massive win for Vladimir Putin," Texas Sen. Cruz said during the press conference while flanked by several fellow Republican senators. "Because the Biden administration has been eager to tell Putin and tell the Ayatollah of course we will have a carveout for the Iran deal on Russia sanctions which means Putin will make billions in oil and gas transactions, in nuclear transactions, and in weapons transactions."
Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, questions Nina Morrison, nominee to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District Of New York, during her Senate Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing in Dirksen Building on Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Cruz added that the Biden administration is "incoherently" announcing sanctions on Russia while also "creating a massive subsidy" for Russia which "makes no sense."
"This is not right, we should walk," Republican Sen. Jim Risch emphatically stated during the press conference. "This doesn’t need to be done right now and particularly it doesn’t need to be done when we have the problems going on that we have in Ukraine. We should walk."
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{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}"Mr. President, you’re the only one in America doing business with the Russians, stop doing business with the Russians," Risch added while slamming his hand on the podium. "Don’t have them negotiating for us, walk on this deal."
(Alex Brandon-Pool/Getty Images)
Republican Senator Joni Ernst said during the press conference that she doesn’t understand Biden’s foreign policy and referred to working with Russia on an Iran nuclear deal as "insane."
"Russia, this is the country with tanks running over Ukraine right now killing innocent civilians," Ernst said. "Children, women, people that we care about and yet they’re using those Russians to negotiate a deal with yet another one of our near-peer adversaries, Iran."
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Sen. John Barrasso agreed with Risch, Ernst, and Cruz and criticized the administration for working with Russia on the deal while the country invades Ukraine.
"It’s the Russians who are doing the negotiations on behalf of the United States," the Wyoming Republican said. "You turn on the TV and radio and see what the Russians are doing in Ukraine. How in the world can we allow them to negotiate on our behalf?"
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to female flight attendants in comments broadcast on state television on Saturday, March 5, 2022. (Reuters Video)
The Republicans also blasted President Biden for "working with our adversaries" across the globe to alleviate the Russian disruption to oil markets rather than opening up energy production in the United States.
"What we have is an administration that would rather deal with international killers than with American drillers," Sen. Bill Hagerty said. "This my friends has to stop and we could stop it tomorrow. All we need to do is have this administration come out and clearly state that we’re going to reopen the Keystone XL pipeline. That we’re going to get back in the energy business. We’re going to become energy independent again. That we’re going to remove this massive lever Vladimir Putin has on the American economy."
The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News.