Political Quotes

“I know my colleagues and good friends are waiting. I will be very brief. I agree with the Senator from Texas that it was totally inappropriate that Mr. Aboutalebi was nominated in the first place. He was a member of the Muslim Student Followers of the Imam's Line, the group that seized the embassy on November 4, 1979, and held American staff hostage until 1981. There were New Yorkers I knew among that group. While I believe that Mr. Aboutalebi's actions certainly would have made him ineligible for a visa under the Immigration and Nationality Act, I believe it is worth it to clear up all doubt about our ability to deny him a visa under U.S. law by passing this bill. I am fully aware that now is a sensitive time in our negotiations with Iran regarding the future of the nuclear program. Nevertheless, it is exactly for this reason that Iran's leadership should not have unnecessarily escalated tensions with the United States by seeking to appoint an ambassador to the United Nations who materially aided terrorists who abducted American citizens. We should not further aggravate the pain of the individuals and families who suffered through the hostage crisis by allowing this individual to have a visa and diplomatic immunity within the United States. So I support this legislation. I am glad it has moved forward in a bipartisan way. I thank my colleagues from both sides of the aisle for supporting this legislation. I yield the floor. The PRESIDING OFFICER.…”