President Obama hosted a cocktail party of sorts in the newly refurbished White House State Dining Room Tuesday night, baiting Democratic senators with drinks and hors d'oeuvres and making assurances on the pending Iran nuclear agreement, Politico reported.
The event—described as "somewhat social, somewhat businesslike" by Sen. Ben Cardin (D., Md.)—found Obama discussing spending bills, climate change, the recent Obamacare Supreme Court ruling, and the pending Iran nuclear deal, the deadline for which suffered another delay the same day.
"He took us back to what the framework was when the initial agreement was announced in Lausanne," explained Sen. Chris Coons (D., Del.). "He said, 'Don't get nervous, don’t get concerned about statements by the supreme leader, about statements in the press. I am not going to sign a deal where we can’t assure that we've blocked all pathways to a bomb for Iran.'"
"I found that very reassuring," Coons added.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D., Conn.) insisted Obama "wanted to make it clear to us that if it's a bad deal, there's no deal."
Also present at the event were Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D., Mass.) and Sen. Cory Booker (D., N.J.), though both took early departures.
Booker's reason for leaving on an empty stomach had much to do with the lack of "vegan options" to satisfy the appetite of PETA's "Hottest Vegetarian Senator."
"I can tell you that there were no vegan options, so I’m going to have to complain to my congressman," Booker detailed of the event. "You would think the president would say, 'Cory's coming.' C'mon."
Obama's closed-door cocktail soirée took place hours after the United States and other world powers pursuing a nuclear deal with Iran delayed the already-extended deadline for negotiations until Friday.