Duckworth knocks Kirk over Iran letter

Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D) on Thursday chastised Sen. Mark Kirk (R) for joining the GOP letter to Iranian leaders on its nuclear deal, saying it was a betrayal for her Illinois Senate opponent to “undermine” U.S. efforts.

“You don’t undermine your own nation in a letter to a foreign head of state of another country, that has ‘Death to America’ as their slogan, when you are a representative of this country,” Duckworth said during an event for her campaign to unseat Kirk, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

“And, you know, maybe it’s the old soldier in me, but you just don’t do that. You don’t betray your nation like that,” according to Duckworth, a disabled Iraq War veteran.

She said that Tehran’s leaders don’t identify lawmakers by party.

“They just see American senators, who are undermining their own country,” Duckworth said, adding Iran is a “real threat.”

Forty-seven Republican senators signed on to a letter in March to Iran’s leaders that said any agreement between Washington and Tehran over Iran’s nuclear program could be negated by Congress and presidents in the future.

The letter, led by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), roiled Washington for weeks, with the White House and congressional Democrats slamming it as an effort to undermine the nuclear negotiations. 

Representatives from the United States and five other world powers — the permanent members of the United Nations Security Council, plus Germany — have a June 30 deadline to reach a final agreement with Tehran.

Kirk has long been a strident critic of the talks, grilling State Department officials whenever they appear on Capitol Hill and blasting the administration. 

He addressed the controversy surrounding the letter in a March 13 op-ed.

“As co-author of bipartisan sanctions laws that forced Iran to negotiate, I won’t hesitate to take a stand against an ineffective Iran strategy that harms our nation,” he wrote.

Kirk, one of the most endangered GOP Senate incumbents, could face Duckworth in the 2016 general election.

However, Duckworth still might face a primary challenge from Urban League CEO Andrea Zopp or Rep. Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), who are both reportedly still considering Senate bids.

—Updated at 11:40 p.m.