Sen. Ted Cruz (R., Texas) said Iran's recently appointed ambassador to the United Nations is "absurd" and called on the Senate to pass legislation to bar the delegate from entering into the U.S.
"Iran has named Hamid Aboutalebi to be their U.N. Ambassador and he's a known terrorist. He participated in holding American’s hostage for 444 days. Now listen, their naming him was a deliberate slap to the face. It was intended to be contemptuous to America," Cruz said on CNN’s The Lead.
The legislation Cruz is backing would "deny admission to the United States to any representative to the United Nations who has engaged in espionage activities against the United States, poses a threat to United States national security interests, or has engaged in a terrorist activity against the United States."
"I will say that I'm encouraged. It hasn't passed yet but the indications are we're getting bipartisan cooperation, Senator Chuck Schumer, Senator Pat Leahy, Senator Bob Menendez; all Democrats have been working with us. I’m hopeful, I’m optimistic that we're going to see the Senate act in a bipartisan manner to protect our national security which is exactly how we should act on matters dealing with the critical safety of this country," Cruz added.