Kerry also admitted under Cotton’s questioning that not only the public, but also members of Congress were prohibited from learning the side deals’ details. In fact, Kerry admitted he had not read it and didn’t think any of his negotiators did either. The administration later agreed to allow members of Congress to hear about details of the side agreement, but only in secret, closed-door briefings.
The Associated Press later revealed the contents of one of the side deals, disclosing that Iranian inspectors will be inspecting its Parchin military complex, a site widely believed to have been the location of testing for nuclear weapons delivery components.
An email was circulated on Wednesday, Sept. 2, by the National Iranian American Council (NIAC), considered to be Iran’s foremost lobbying group in America. It revealed that NIAC was privy to Senator Mikulski’s not yet public announcement that she would support the deal. Mikulski gave the administration its 34th Senate deal supporter, thereby slaying the veto override option.
Their next fight, one in which this administration and other supporters will join, is to block any vote at all on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, by gathering enough Senate supporters to filibuster proposed legislation against the deal.
Senator Cotton, the youngest current U.S. Senator, is serving his first term in the Senate. Prior to being elected to the Senate, he served one term in the House of Representatives. Cotton sits on the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence Committees.
Cotton was an infantry officer in the U.S. Army for five years during which he was on active duty in both Iraq and Afghanistan. He served in the military after graduating from Harvard College and Harvard Law School, and clerking for the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals.