Three Senate Republicans shattered party unity to advance the nomination of a State Department nominee who has been accused of lying to Congress about the terms of a new nuclear agreement with Iran.
Leaf's nomination will come to a full vote in the Senate and will likely be approved if these Republicans abandon their colleagues to vote in her favor.
Leaf has seen her nomination blocked from a vote for nearly a year by Sen. Ted Cruz, who maintains that during her confirmation hearing last year in the Senate she provided inadequate or false answers about the Biden administration's policies on Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood, and peace agreements between Israel and its neighbors.
The showdown over the vote comes as the Biden administration is working with Russia to secure a revamped nuclear deal with Iran.
Leaf's nomination was seen as a proxy vote for the Biden administration's nuclear deal and a bellwether for Republican opposition.
Leaf, in written testimony to Cruz that was viewed by the Washington Free Beacon, said in September that the Biden administration was not seeking a deal with Iran that is separate from the original 2015 accord, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action.
Cruz and other Republicans say Leaf's response was meant to obfuscate efforts by the Biden administration to ink an accord, which they are calling a "Less-for-less" deal with Iran.
Wednesday, March 30, 2022
Three Republicans Defect To Advance Biden Nominee Accused of Lying About Iran Deal
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