Hikind Calls on Gillibrand to Reconsider Iran Deal Vote Decision; Requests Meeting

Assemblyman Dov Hikind is calling on New York Senator Kirsten E. Gillibrand to reconsider her stated decision to support the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran when it comes to a vote in Congress in September.

Assemblyman Hikind has been vocal about the dangers of the Iran deal, including protesting and getting arrested in front of Senator Schumer’s office, who recently stated his opposition to the deal. In his letter, Hikind stressed that it was not premature for Gillibrand to change her mind in light of additional information coming out regarding the deal. In addition to conveying concerns about claims from the administration that a rejection of the deal is tantamount to supporting war, Hikind has requested a meeting with Gillibrand to discuss the matter, highlighting that “it is not too late to do the right thing.”

Although Senator Schumer and other leading Democrats in the New York congressional delegation have stated their intention to oppose the deal, Democratic congressional members representing parts of Brooklyn are still undecided: Yvette Clarke, Hakeem Jeffries, Jerry Nadler, and Nydia Velazquez.

In excerpts from a letter to Senator Gillibrand, Assemblyman Hikind wrote:

I write to express my extreme dismay regarding your intention to support the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran. I write as a fellow Democrat, a fellow New Yorker, and most importantly—a fellow American—to respectfully request that you reconsider your decision.

The stakes are simply too high for the United States to accept a bad deal. In a decade from now, when Iran possesses a nuclear weapon and long-range missiles that can hit the United States, what will you then answer your constituents?

I believe you know that fundamentally this is a bad deal. This debate is too important to be the subject of partisan politics. As more and more Americans learn about the deal and secret or side deals, there has been massive disappointment in your decision, and I urge you to reconsider. I would appreciate the opportunity to meet with you at your earliest convenience to talk further about this. It is not too late to do the right thing. I look forward to having a dialogue with you.

Click here to read the full text of the letter.

{Matzav.com Newscenter}