Senate candidate Jon Keyser is hitting Democratic incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet (Colo.) for his support of the nuclear deal with Iran, after Secretary of State John Kerry admitted Thursday that some of the $100 billion in sanctions relief to the Islamic Republic would likely fund terrorism.
"I think that some of it will end up in the hands of the [Iran Revolutionary Guard Corps] IRGC or other entities, some of which are labeled terrorists," Kerry said in an interview. "You know, to some degree, I'm not going to sit here and tell you that every component of that can be prevented. But I can tell you this: Right now, we are not seeing the early delivery of funds going to that kind of endeavor at this point in time."
Keyser, a combat veteran who is making foreign policy the centerpiece of his campaign, blasted Bennet for voting for the accord.
"It’s time for Senator Bennet to finally tell the truth to Coloradans and admit his vote for the Iran deal is funding Iranian terrorism across the world," Keyser said in a statement. "Senator Bennet’s vote to give Iran an additional $100 billion has aided and abetted their vast terrorist network across the world and now America and our allies will pay the price."
"The world is a more dangerous place because of Senator Bennet and it’s time for him to admit it," he said.
Bennet’s office did not immediately respond to request for comment on Kerry’s remarks.
Republicans also criticized Bennet this week for joining Democrats in blocking legislation that would have increased screening of refugees into the country from Iraq and Syria, following the terrorist attacks in Paris and San Bernardino. Forty-seven Democrats joined Republicans in approving the legislation in the House.
Democrats shut down a procedural vote on the legislation, which would have required the heads of the federal intelligence agencies to confirm that all refugees from Iraq and Syria posed no national security threat.
"A blanket prohibition like this doesn’t actually make us safer, and refugees are more thoroughly vetted than anyone else entering the United States," Bennet said, defending his vote.
Jonathan Lockwood, president of Advancing Colorado, said the refugee vote, along with his support of the Iran nuclear deal, are "advancing a dangerous agenda."
"Every Coloradan needs to get outraged and burn down the phone lines in Bennet's offices and show up at his offices because we cannot tolerate this abuse any longer," he said. "He is advancing a dangerous agenda and it is starting to look suspicious to Coloradans who are in a panic asking, 'for crying out loud, what is he doing?'"