Three presidential candidates, seven lawmakers and a host of conservative and security-minded activists: The speaker’s roster has grown, along with the event. Sarah Palin will appear Wednesday afternoon alongside White House hopefuls Donald Trump, Sen. Ted Cruz and Jim Gilmore plus broadcasters Glenn Beck and Mark Levin at the Stop the Iran Deal Rally. The plainspoken patriarch of Duck Dynasty - Phil Robertson - will also be on hand. A protest against the White House nuclear accord with Iran, the rally will have an impressive backdrop for speakers and media alike. The event will be staged on the west lawn of the U.S. Capitol.
“Look forward to being in DC tomorrow - big crowd expected for our protest against the truly stupid nuclear deal we are making with Iran,” Mr. Trump tweeted Tuesday, adding in another, “Not even believable that we would do this deal with Iran.”
“The broad spectrum of national leaders to speak at the rally underlines the momentum behind the movement to stop President Obama’s nuclear deal with Iran,” say Jenny Beth Martin, CEO of the Tea Party Patriots, the primary organizer for the rally, along with the Center for Security Policy and the Zionist Organization of America.
“Every day, more Americans are learning this deal ignores our Constitution by avoiding the treaty process and makes the world a more dangerous place by undermining both our national security and the security of our allies in the Middle East,” Mrs. Martin adds.
Besides Mr. Cruz, the other lawmakers attending include Republican Reps. Trent Franks, Jim Bridenstine, Louie Gohmert, Steve King, Mark Meadows, Mike Pompeo and Ted Yolo.
Also among those appearing: American Conservative Union chairman Matt Schlapp, Citizens United founder David Bossie, Zionist Organization of America president Mort Klein, Center for Security Policy founder Frank Gaffney, Congress of Racial Equality spokesman Niger Innis, Heritage Foundation scholar Genevieve Wood, American Values founder Gary Bauer, Concerned Women for America president Penny Nance, ACT for America founder Brigitte Gabriel and former CIA Director Jim Woolsey.
White House spokesman Josh Earnest has already referred to the event as a “pro-war rally,” predicting that Mssrs. Cruz and Trump plus former Vice President Dick Cheney would “emerge as the leading voices of opposition” to the Iran deal.
Both U.S. House and Senate will vote to approve or reject the nuclear deal by Sept. 17 — though House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, said the House plans to vote on a measure of disapproval no later than Sept. 11.
The Orthodox Union Advocacy Center is also sending a delegation of several hundred Orthodox Jewish rabbis and other leaders to stage their own rally and press conference outside the U.S. Senate on Wednesday. The group likens their event to the historic Rabbis’ March in 1943 in support of American and allied action to counter the destruction of European Jewry.
• Jennifer Harper can be reached at jharper@washingtontimes.com.
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