This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Washington • Sen. Orrin Hatch joined 46 fellow Republicans in signing an open letter to the leaders of Iran warning them that any deal they cut with President Barack Obama could be jettisoned by his replacement, and Hatch stands by the move, arguing that the founding fathers set it up that way.
"The Framers of the Constitution were keenly aware of the risks posed by unwise agreements with foreign nations," Hatch said in a statement late Tuesday. "This caution is why they endowed the Senate with its significant role in subscribing to binding international agreements. Given the disturbing reports about the Obama administration's potential concessions to the Iranian regime, this letter expresses our intent to use Congress's legitimate constitutional powers to ensure the national security of the United States and the safety of our allies in the region."
But Hatch sang a different tune during President Ronald Reagan's time in office, arguing the exact opposite. Politico's Michael Crowley notes the Utah Republican was outraged when Democrats in Congress voted to cut off U.S. aid to Nicaragua's Contra rebels.
Hatch at the time said Reagan was "the sole person to whom our Constitution gives the responsibility for conducting foreign relations." And he blasted Congress' Boland Amendment (violated by Oliver North and others in the Iran-Contra scandal) as "an unconstitutional encroachment on the presidential prerogatives and power."
Then again, that was when Reagan was president.
– Thomas Burr
Twitter.com/thomaswburr