Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, the chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, said Friday that President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran was “not black and white,” and she did not know if she would vote for it.
Mrs. Wasserman Schultz’s refusal to commit to the deal challenged Mr. Obama’s assertion that lawmakers face a stark choice between the deal or war. A day earlier, Sen. Charles E. Schumer, the New York Democrat poised to lead Senate Democrats in 2017, announced he would not support it.
“This is not black and white. It’s not a no-brainer,” Mrs. Wasserman Schultz, Florida Democrat, said on CNN’s “New Day.”
“I know Chuck’s decision was based on what he personally concluded was the most likely way of preventing Iran from getting a nuclear weapon,” she said. “That’s the choice that I’m going to have to make after I go home and talk to my constituents as well.”
She predicted the deal would ultimately survive Congress because there would not be enough votes to override Mr. Obama’s veto of a resolution of disapproval.
“It is troubling and difficult for the deal to lose as prominent senator like Chuck Schumer, but it’s absolutely completely still possible and probably likely that this is a deal that will go through,” Mrs. Wasserman Schultz said. “At the end of the day Republicans will have the votes to override his veto.”
SEE ALSO: Chuck Schumer breaks with Obama, opposes Iran deal
Despite opposition from top Democrats such as Mr. Schumer, she said that Republicans “were the ones who were irresponsible with an immediate knee-jerk reaction.”
“Republicans have not carefully evaluated this deal, Democrats are and that’s one of the big differences between our parties,” Mrs. Wasserman Schultz said.
• S.A. Miller can be reached at smiller@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.