Rep. Schiff Statement on Attending Netanyahu Address Tomorrow
Washington, DC – Today, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), the Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, released the following statement:
“I plan on attending the speech by Prime Minister Netanyahu, but not without serious reservations. Speaker Boehner should never have extended the invitation in the manner that he did – without consulting the White House – or at the time that he did, in the middle of an Israeli election. I also do not believe that the House Floor should be used as a platform for a foreign head of state to lobby Congress on a bill opposed by the President.
“But as the Prime Minister did accept the Speaker's invitation, I will respectfully hear what he has to say. The issues surrounding Iran's nuclear program are of seminal importance and we must not let the Speaker's gambit distract us from the far more important issues at stake. It is also vital that the unseemly controversy surrounding the speech not threaten the strong bipartisan support for Israel in the United States, which would be a tremendous departure from the past and not in the long term best interests of either country.”