Allen West: Pelosi ‘insane’ to oppose Iran review legislation

Former Rep. Allen West (R-Fla.) on Friday said House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) is “insane” for opposing congressional review of a deal on Iran’s nuclear program.

The ex-lawmaker criticized Pelosi in a post on his blog, arguing it is “odd and perplexing” that she would advocate giving President Obama free rein in foreign policy.

{mosads}The threat of an Iran armed with nukes, West wrote, is too dire for less American oversight.

“We have a system of checks and balances and there are coequal branches of government in our governing system,” West argued.

“No White House should enter into a major foreign policy agreement with a hostile country without congressional approval, advice and consent,” he added.

West was critiquing Pelosi’s decision earlier this week to oppose Iran legislation from Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.).

The bill would require the administration to submit the text of a final Iran deal to Congress for review, along with a verification assessment of Iran’s compliance and a certification that the agreement does not jeopardize national security.

The White House has warned that passage of the bill could derail the international negotiations, and Pelosi came out firmly against it this week.

“Senator Corker’s legislation undermines these international negotiations and represents an unnecessary hurdle to achieving a strong, final agreement,” Pelosi said in a statement Wednesday.

The Obama administration sketched a rough draft agreement with Iran over its nuclear energy program on April 2. President Obama hailed the potential accord as “historic.”

The deal would reduce economic sanctions on Iran in exchange for greater restrictions on its nuclear research. Tehran has tentatively pledged to allow more frequent atomic inspections and caps on its centrifuge and uranium stockpiles as part of the agreement.

Secretary of State John Kerry led U.S. efforts at the bargaining table last month in Lausanne, Switzerland. Britain, China, France, Russia and Germany aided him during talks with Tehran.

The two parties will now haggle over details for a final agreement before the June 30 deadline.