Hillary Clinton threw her support behind the Iranian nuclear deal in a closed-door meeting with congressional Democrats on Tuesday, according to attendees.
Democratic lawmakers told Bloomberg that Clinton embraced the deal during the meeting, and emphasized her work on Iran diplomacy during her time at the State Department.
In public statements on Tuesday, Clinton called the deal an "important step."
"She said this was the same kind of arms agreement that other presidents have worked on, but much more important because of the tenor of the times, and what's going on in the region," Representative Louise Slaughter said, predicting Democrats would have the votes to sustain a presidential veto if it came to that.
Representative Gerry Connolly of Virginia said Clinton had given the deal a "full-throated endorsement." Facing the cameras, Clinton was measured, saying the agreement would have to be enforced "vigorously" and Iran’s "bad behavior" on human rights must be addressed. […]
She told House Democrats the deal was the fruit of work she began as secretary of state aimed at freezing and rolling back much of Iran's nuclear program, according to Connolly. "She thinks it's a very positive development," he said.
The nuclear agreement, which was announced early on Tuesday, has drawn strong criticism from national security experts and the pro-Israel community, who say it doesn’t dismantle Iran’s nuclear program and will allow it to obtain a bomb after the deal expires in 10 years. It will also provide sanctions relief and bolster the economy in Iran, which is the world’s foremost state sponsor of terrorism.
Business Insider reported on Tuesday that Clinton’s support for the deal would make it easier for Senate Democrats to back the agreement:
Some congressional Democrats are more hawkish on foreign policy matters than Obama, giving hope to Republicans crafting a bipartisan pushback against the landmark agreement. However, Democrats would likely have a harder time bucking both Obama and Clinton, who is their party's front-runner in the 2016 presidential race.
"It's EXTREMELY unlikely there will be enough" congressional Democrats willing to cross both party leaders, NBC News' senior political editor, Mark Murray, wrote on Tuesday.
Clinton's previous foreign policy hawkishness, especially relative to Obama, also potentially gives her voice weight with skeptical congressional Democrats. Politico's Michael Crowley recently documented many of Clinton's past positions casting doubt on Tehran's intentions.