Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Wednesday intensified her criticism of Republicans who sent a letter to Iran that threatened to junk any agreement over Tehran’s nuclear program.
“GOP letter to Iranian clerics undermines American leadership. No one considering running for commander-in-chief should be signing on,” Clinton said on Twitter.
But one of the signatories, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal (R), immediately fired back, tweeting, “No one who allows Iran to become a nuclear power should consider running.”
Clinton’s comment came the day after she said the letter was “out of step with the best traditions of American leadership.”
The letter in question was signed primarily by senators and spearheaded by Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.). A host of potential 2016 GOP contenders signed on too, including Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas), Rand Paul (Ky.) and Marco Rubio (Fla.).
Possible 2016 candidates beyond the Senate have also expressed support. Jindal (R) promptly signed the letter. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry, (R) said on Twitter that “he would be proud and honored” to sign the document.
The letter warns Iran that Congress will have to weigh in on any nuclear deal worked out between Washington and Tehran.
The missive has sparked a war of words between Republicans, who hope to head off what they predict will be a bad agreement, and Democrats, who argue sending it was a massive breach of protocol.
This story was updated at 4:07 p.m.