Iran should pursue a peaceful resolution and end its nuclear program because the United States has a lot more targets from which to choose, Senate Intelligence Chairman Tom Cotton (R-AR) said on Sunday.
Cotton told ABC&#8217;s Jonathan Karl on &#8220;This Week&#8221; that the supreme leader and the Ayatollahs in Iran need to understand that President Donald Trump &#8220;means business&#8221; after ordering strikes on three of Tehran&#8217;s facilities this weekend to prevent the regime from obtaining nuclear weapons.
&#8220;They have a chance to sue for peace here, to dismantle whatever remnants of their nuclear program remain, and to continue to actually survive,&#8221; Cotton said. &#8220;Because we haven&#8217;t targeted the supreme leader; we haven&#8217;t targeted their energy infrastructure. We haven&#8217;t targeted other critical infrastructure. That&#8217;s an implicit message that Iran still has things that they hold dear that neither the United States nor Israel has struck.&#8221;
Cotton said the military strikes &#8220;severely damaged&#8221; Iran&#8217;s &#8220;critical nuclear infrastructure,&#8221; which he noted Trump had warned for 10 years he would do if Tehran got close to achieving a nuclear weapon.
&#8220;Remember, this is a regime in Iran that has terrorized Americans for 46 years,&#8221; Cotton said. &#8220;For 25 years, American presidents have worried about them getting a nuclear weapon, have said that they&#8217;d never be allowed to. Finally, President Trump has taken decisive action to ensure that they&#8217;re not going to get nuclear weapons on his watch.&#8221;
Cotton also said the United States should be &#8220;prepared&#8221; for Iran to retaliate.
&#8220;I join the president in his warning to the supreme leader of Iran, that if he targets Americans, the military force he will see, will make last night look like child&#8217;s play,&#8221; Cotton said. &#8220;We have troops in the region. Iran has targeted Americans around the world and Marine barracks in Beirut and barracks in Saudi Arabia. They&#8217;ve targeted embassies of countries around the world. For all we know, they may have gotten sleeper cells into the country during Joe Biden&#8217;s wide-open border.&#8221;
He added: &#8220;So, the threats are serious, and we take them seriously. President Trump has no higher priority, as do I, than the safety of the American people.&#8221;
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Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK)

Iran Needs To Do Two Things To ‘Actually Survive’: Tom Cotton

Congress

Iran

Nuclear Weapons

Tom Cotton

U.S.

U.S. Senate

Leading GOP senators bluntly declared their support for Israel’s strikes targeting Iran on Thursday night, stating that Israel was helping America by attacking the anti-American terror regime that routinely chants, “Death to America.”
“Iran is the world’s worst state sponsor of terrorism, has the blood of thousands of Americans on its hands, and is rushing to build not only nuclear weapons, but also missiles that can strike the United States,” Arkansas senator Tom Cotton wrote on X. “We back Israel to the hilt, all the way. And if the ayatollahs harm a single American, that will be the end of the ayatollahs.”
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Iran is the world’s worst state sponsor of terrorism, has the blood of thousands of Americans on its hands, and is rushing to build not only nuclear weapons, but also missiles that can strike the United States. We back Israel to the hilt, all the way. 
And if the ayatollahs harm…
&mdash; Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenTomCotton/status/1933339069406232860?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“Proud to stand with Israel,” he added.
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Proud to stand with Israel.
&mdash; Tom Cotton (@TomCottonAR) <a href="https://twitter.com/TomCottonAR/status/1933313887362859140?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Texas Senator Ted  Cruz echoed, “President Trump has been clear that Iran must completely dismantle their nuclear capacity. Iran has given President Trump the middle finger. Israel is acting to defend themselves, and we should stand with them.”
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President Trump has been clear that Iran must completely dismantle their nuclear capacity. 
Iran has given President Trump the middle finger. 
Israel is acting to defend themselves, and we should stand with them. <a href="https://t.co/SHNE5vnw6J">pic.twitter.com/SHNE5vnw6J</a>
&mdash; Ted Cruz (@tedcruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz/status/1933342444638159344?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“There are two messages that are critical to be heard tonight,” Cruz told Daily Wire co-founder Ben Shapiro. “Number one, America stands unequivocally with Israel. Period. The end. That is critically important. Israel is acting to defend herself, to defend herself against the existential threat of an Iranian nuclear weapon, but number two, and this is equally important, we have a very large number of American servicemen and women in bases in the Middle East that are in harm’s way. And I want to ask every one of your listeners, every one of your viewers, if you’re a person of faith, pray for Israel tonight. Pray for Israel, pray for Jerusalem, and pray for our servicemen and women, the Americans in harm’s way. And a message I think is critically important: I want the Ayatollah to hear: If you attack American military bases, if you kill even a single American serviceman or woman, I am absolutely confident that President Trump will respond with overwhelming force.”
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&quot;America stands unequivocally with Israel.&quot;
Senator <a href="https://twitter.com/tedcruz?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@tedcruz</a> joins <a href="https://twitter.com/benshapiro?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@benshapiro</a> to discuss the breaking coverage of Israel&#39;s massive attack on Iranian nuclear capabilities. <a href="https://t.co/UCyTXJ0T0o">pic.twitter.com/UCyTXJ0T0o</a>
&mdash; Daily Wire (@realDailyWire) <a href="https://twitter.com/realDailyWire/status/1933362460204937590?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
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“Israel is in a very real sense, doing a favor to America tonight,” Cruz declared. “The Ayatollah regularly, in front of mobs, chants, &#8216;Death to America&#8217; and &#8216;Death to Israel.&#8217; If history teaches anything, it is that if someone tells you they want to murder you, you should believe them.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) wrote, “For too long, the mullahs in Iran have publicly aspired to wipe the only democracy in the Middle East off the face of the map via any means possible: funding and arming terror groups on Israel’s borders, choking off international sea lanes, and multiple barrages of missiles and drones. Just today, Iran was found once again to be in violation of its nuclear non-proliferation obligations, which is unacceptable. Iran must never gain access to a nuclear weapon. Today, Israel has determined that it must take decisive action to defend the Israeli people. The United States Senate stands ready to work with President Trump and with our allies in Israel to restore peace in the region and, first and foremost, to defend the American people from Iranian aggression, especially our troops and civilians serving overseas. Iran should heavily consider the consequences before considering any action against Americans in the region.”
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For too long, the mullahs in Iran have publicly aspired to wipe the only democracy in the Middle East off the face of the map via any means possible: funding and arming terror groups on Israel’s borders, choking off international sea lanes, and multiple barrages of missiles and…
&mdash; Leader John Thune (@LeaderJohnThune) <a href="https://twitter.com/LeaderJohnThune/status/1933345748911075637?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
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South Carolina senator Lindsey Graham added, “In a contest for their very survival, hats off to Israel for one of the most impressive military strikes and covert operations in Israeli history — which is saying something. I very much appreciate President Trump’s strong statement in support of this Israeli operation and his urging for the Iranian Regime to make a deal to abandon their nuclear enrichment program to avoid further bloodshed. I hope and pray the ayatollah and his henchmen who are still alive will heed President Trump’s counsel. If not, America — the greatest power for good on Earth — should be all-in to help Israel finish the job. Well done to one of America’s greatest allies, Israel.”
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In a contest for their very survival, hats off to Israel for one of the most impressive military strikes and covert operations in Israeli history — which is saying something. 
I very much appreciate President Trump’s strong statement in support of this Israeli operation and his… <a href="https://t.co/oLAfF3UuqQ">pic.twitter.com/oLAfF3UuqQ</a>
&mdash; Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) <a href="https://twitter.com/LindseyGrahamSC/status/1933522205142348185?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch (R-ID)asserted, “ We stand with Israel tonight and pray for the safety of its people and the success of this unilateral, defensive action. I am also praying for the brave U.S. service members in the Middle East who keep America safe—Iran would be foolish to attack the United States.”
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We stand with Israel tonight and pray for the safety of its people and the success of this unilateral, defensive action. I am also praying for the brave U.S. service members in the Middle East who keep America safe—Iran would be foolish to attack the United States.
&mdash; Jim Risch (@SenatorRisch) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenatorRisch/status/1933348361891123321?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
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House Speaker Mike Johnson wrote simply, “Israel IS right—and has a right—to defend itself!”
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Israel IS right—and has a right—to defend itself! <a href="https://t.co/306CJIHeGx">pic.twitter.com/306CJIHeGx</a>
&mdash; Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1933351802990113091?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 13, 2025</a></blockquote>
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MixCollage-13-Jun-2025-11-07-AM-3746

‘Proud To Stand With Israel’: GOP Leaders Back Israeli Strike On Iran

Israel

Ted Cruz

Senator Tom Cotton praised President Donald Trump’s decisive action against the Los Angeles rioters to Daily Wire editor emeritus Ben Shapiro.
The Arkansas Republican, who caused a stir with his 2020 New York Times op-ed urging the president to &#8220;Send In The Troops&#8221; to quell the George Floyd riots, remains supportive of Trump invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807 to federalize the National Guard.
“First you want to see the local police control any violence. If they’re not able to, or, in some cases like you’ve seen in California, they’re not allowed to, that’s why you have a National Guard,” Cotton said on Monday&#8217;s episode of The Ben Shapiro Show. “The final authority is the Insurrection Act. It’s a law that goes back to the founding of the republic, nearly.”
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Cotton noted that President George H.W. Bush used the Insurrection Act to federalize the National Guard during the 1992 Los Angeles riots, as did President Dwight Eisenhower in 1957, to enforce the integration of Little Rock Central High School. Trump has not just precedent, but a duty, Cotton says, to protect both &#8220;innocent lives and property&#8221; in Los Angeles, as well as &#8220;protecting local police, protecting ICE, the FBI, ATF and federal property.”
The senator said that local law enforcement personnel were either unable or unwilling to put a stop to the rioters, who are throwing bricks at federal vehicles, setting cars on fire, and attacking federal law enforcement personnel. The riots began over the weekend in response to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers arresting illegal immigrants in Los Angeles.
“It is amazing to me that one of the main parties in the United States is suggesting that the basic enforcement of immigration law is now a provocation to lawlessness and that the lawlessness is actually a secondary problem,&#8221; Shapiro said.
Cotton agreed, saying that “You can’t say that just because we’re enforcing the law, which the American people elected President Trump and Republicans to do last year, that we&#8217;re going to riot in the streets.&#8221;
&#8220;The Democrats, again, are an open borders party and now they’ve taken an open borders philosophy to the enforcement of basic laws inside of our country,&#8221; he added.
“They’re opposed to law and order,&#8221; Cotton said. &#8220;They’re on the side of violent, illegal aliens who are setting businesses and cars on fire while they wave flags of foreign countries.”

Sen. Tom Cotton

WATCH: Tom Cotton And Ben Shapiro Talk Trump Sending The National Guard To Los Angeles

Ben Shapiro

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE)

Los Angeles

The Ben Shapiro Show

In the wake of the release of American-Israeli Edan Alexander by the terrorist group Hamas, which still holds dozens of hostages abducted in their October 7, 2023, massacre of over 1,200 Israelis, some prominent GOP leaders were undeterred in urging that the terrorist group be eliminated.
Hamas released Alexander, apparently to curry favor with the U.S., as Israel has blocked aid into Gaza, where Hamas has routinely seized supplies intended for civilians and reportedly <a href="https://www.jns.org/hamas-steals-food-from-its-citizens-yet-israel-gets-blamed/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">resold them on the black market</a>.
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) responded to the freeing of Alexander by writing, “Hamas terrorists brutally tortured Edan Alexander and held him hostage for 19 months. Thanks to @POTUS ’s strength and leadership, Edan on his way home. We’re glad he’s heading home but this should have never happened. We demand justice for all of those still held hostage and we stand with Israel in the fight to eliminate Hamas.”
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Hamas terrorists brutally tortured Edan Alexander and held him hostage for 19 months. Thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>’s strength and leadership, Edan on his way home.
We’re glad he’s heading home but this should have never happened. 
We demand justice for all of those still held hostage and… <a href="https://t.co/J7yvbuX2rf">https://t.co/J7yvbuX2rf</a>
&mdash; Speaker Mike Johnson (@SpeakerJohnson) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpeakerJohnson/status/1922016356729258349?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR), a veteran who served in the war in Iraq as a platoon leader with the 101st Airborne Division and led a 41-man air assault, echoed, “After more than 580 days in captivity Edan Alexander is free from Hamas terrorists. I commend President Trump for his tireless efforts to free the hostages. And we should encourage Israel to keep up the pressure to destroy Hamas and bring all the hostages home.”
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After more than 580 days in captivity Edan Alexander is free from Hamas terrorists. I commend President Trump for his tireless efforts to free the hostages. And we should encourage Israel to keep up the pressure to destroy Hamas and bring all the hostages home.
&mdash; Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenTomCotton/status/1922002968200585425?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Meanwhile, Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) maintained a vigilant eye on Iran, for whom Hamas acts as a murderous proxy, writing, “While negotiating with Iran, the goal must be full dismantlement of their nuclear program. The Biden administration allowed them to build out their nuclear program for four years while keeping the cameras off. If they are allowed to keep any part of the program, they will be able to cheat — and the Ayatollah has cheated on every deal he&#8217;s ever signed.”
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While negotiating with Iran, the goal must be full dismantlement of their nuclear program. 
The Biden administration allowed them to build out their nuclear program for four years while keeping the cameras off. If they are allowed to keep any part of the program, they will be… <a href="https://t.co/XkLtZ1VTZT">pic.twitter.com/XkLtZ1VTZT</a>
&mdash; Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenTedCruz/status/1921954233982542124?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
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And to dispel rumors that President Trump and Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are undergoing a frostiness in their relationship, U.S. Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee chimed in, “Excellent meeting w/     ⁦ @IsraeliPM. Cooperative efforts with ⁦@POTUS ⁩&amp; ⁦@IsraeliPM ⁩resulted in Edan Alexander release. Witkoff, &amp; Huckabee meet ahead of hostage release. Forget rumors. We’re all on same page.”
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Excellent meeting w/ ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/IsraeliPM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IsraeliPM</a>⁩. Cooperative efforts with ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/POTUS?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@POTUS</a>⁩ &amp; ⁦<a href="https://twitter.com/IsraeliPM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@IsraeliPM</a>⁩ resulted in Edan Alexander release. Witkoff, &amp; Huckabee meet ahead of hostage release. Forget rumors. We’re all on same page. <a href="https://t.co/UrKsxtUWSS">https://t.co/UrKsxtUWSS</a>
&mdash; Ambassador Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) <a href="https://twitter.com/GovMikeHuckabee/status/1921946025247318251?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2025</a></blockquote>
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MixCollage-12-May-2025-06-19-PM-5287

Top GOP Members Of Congress Undeterred After Hostage Release: ‘Eliminate Hamas’

Global Politics

Hamas

Mike Huckabee

Mike Johnson

World

Fox News host Mark Levin said Sunday that he believed that President Donald Trump was the &#8220;right man&#8221; to ensure that Iran doesn&#8217;t get nuclear weapons.
Levin made the comment during a discussion on the necessity of eliminating Iran&#8217;s capacity for having nuclear weapons with Arkansas GOP Senator Tom Cotton, the Iraq War veteran who is the Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and sits on the Armed Services Committee. Cotton has long been a staunch opponent of Iran having a nuclear weapon; he led the charge against the Obama nuclear deal with Iran that permitted the terrorist regime to continue the pursuit of building nuclear weapons.
&#8220;I’m not asking you to violate any secrets, obviously, or anything of that sort,&#8221; Levin began. &#8220;Is Iran really close to having a nuclear weapon and is that something we should take seriously? Or, as some people say, &#8216;It’s very manageable. Don’t be a warmonger. Don’t interfere. Don’t be a neo-con. Just let the good little terrorists do whatever they’re going to do and we’ll be just fine.'&#8221;
&#8220;Mark, Iran is very close to having a nuclear weapon, and it’s something that we should fear and that we shouldn’t tolerate.&#8221; Cotton replied. &#8220;Donald Trump’s been very clear about this; for as long as he’s been in politics, going back 10 years. In fact, the first conversation I ever had with Donald Trump, he was coming to Arkansas to speak at a Republican party dinner. I happened to be going to Vienna that weekend to meet with the International Atomic Energy Agency. And he called me and he said that the one thing we can’t do is let Iran have a nuclear weapon. And he’s been clear about that publicly over and over again because Iran is not a normal nation. It’s a fanatical theocratic dictatorship. And if they get nuclear weapons, they’re likely to use them.&#8221;
Answering Levin&#8217;s question about how close Iran was to having a nuclear weapon, Cotton continued, &#8220;How close are they? They have enough enriched uranium now that they could probably produce enough weapons-grade in just a matter of days, maybe a few weeks. And then it’s only a matter of marrying up that nuclear weapon to the missiles they already have that can reach our friends in Israel and throughout the Middle East.&#8221;
&#8220;But it’s worse than that, Mark,&#8221; Cotton declared. &#8220;They have a space launch program which is really just flimsy cover for a ballistic missile program, and they’re probably just a few years away from having missiles that could hit us here in the United States, that could hit Florida or Arkansas or Washington, D.C. So it is a grave threat, not just to our friends in the Middle East but to the United States itself. And that’s why President Trump has been completely clear that Iran cannot have a nuclear weapon.&#8221;
&#8220;And Mark, I think it’s important to remember how we got to this point as well,&#8221; he recalled. &#8220;We got here because of the terrible Obama deal with Iran that allowed them to enrich uranium, that allowed them to keep all their centrifuges, that allowed them to continue research into ballistic missiles. President Trump has been clear that Iran has no reason to enrich uranium. They therefore have no reason to keep their centrifuges, and they certainly have no reason to be developing intercontinental missiles that could hit the United States. If Iran is willing to make a deal on those terms, and as President Trump said last week, we can have peace and they can live happily without death.&#8221;
Trump has recently said, &#8220;Iran has a chance to have a great country and to live happily without death.&#8221;
&#8220;But if they insist on keeping all that enriched uranium and all those centrifuges and their missile program, as he has said, we’re going to have to take a different path,&#8221; Cotton said.
&#8220;In other words, they need to dismantle this, and it needs to be provable in a way in the past it hasn’t been provable, cause they cheat and they lie and they steal,&#8221; Levin stated. &#8220;I mean, after all, they are terrorists and just because they signed a piece of paper, &#8216;Oh, yeah, we’ll sign whatever you give us. Oh, that all you have? Sure, sure, sure,&#8217; it means absolutely nothing.&#8221;
&#8220;I have complete faith in Donald Trump on this; he’s the right man at the right time,&#8221; Levin asserted. &#8220;I have complete faith in Benjamin Netanyahu; he’s the right man at the right time. And I think there’s a lot of static out there by a cabal of individuals who seem to think that nuclear weapons in the hands of an enemy — not just any enemy, but one that doesn’t believe in mutually assured destruction, it just believes in destruction — is manageable or it’s OK. And I’m not willing to bet our country, society, my children and grandchildren, on that. Are you?&#8221;
&#8220;No,&#8221; Cotton said firmly. &#8220;Absolutely not, Mark. And I agree with you: I have confidence in President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu; they understand the stakes here; they understand that the only acceptable deal is one in which Iran dismantles its nuclear program, turns over its enriched uranium, turns over its centrifuges, stops ballistic missile research.&#8221;
Cotton pointed out that the U.S. had intervened before to stop a rogue state from having nuclear weaponry, recalling, &#8220;Libya did the exact same thing in 2003. It was scared straight; it threw open the doors, let us come in and take away all of its nuclear programs as well as biological and chemical weapons programs as well. And we took Libya off the list of state sponsors of terrorism; we lifted sanctions on them. They became a de facto ally, even though Muammar Khadafi still had a lot of American blood on his hands in the past.&#8221;
&#8220;There’s a clear model of what a good, enforceable, verifiable deal would look like here,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;It does not involve any enrichment of uranium, or Iran possessing centrifuges or continuing its production of ballistic missiles. That’s the kind of deal that President Trump and Prime Minister Netanyahu have both been clear about for many years.&#8221;
&#8220;You know, senator, if Iran doesn’t intend to build nuclear weapons to harm us or anybody else, then what’s the problem?&#8221; Levin asked. &#8220;Why won’t they dismantle it? But if they won’t dismantle it, then they’ve revealed what they’re really up to.&#8221;
&#8220;They claim they want a nuclear energy program; there are plenty of countries around the world that have nuclear energy and don’t enrich uranium, that don’t have centrifuges, that acquire it [nuclear energy] from countries that do,&#8221; Cotton noted. &#8220;There’s no reason for Iran, as you say, to have this vast nuclear infrastructure. That’s why they’re only a few months away from getting the bomb. It’s what Barack  Obama let them get.&#8221;
&#8220;It&#8217;s funny; they sell their oil to Communist China. I guess they’re not exactly running out of energy. But they’re liars, they’re thieves, and they’re terrorists. That’s what the regime is. That’s the bottom line,&#8221; Levin concluded.
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&mdash; Fox News (@FoxNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews/status/1914140904534819128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 21, 2025</a></blockquote>
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MixCollage-21-Apr-2025-02-08-AM-6450

Levin, Cotton On Iran: President Trump The ‘Right Man At The Right Time’

Donald Trump

Mark Levin

The Biden administration authorized the use of the unclassified Signal messaging app for official communications before top Trump administration officials began using it, according to Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR).
Cotton, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, appeared on Fox News on Tuesday and suggested that the outcry over top Trump officials using the encrypted messaging platform to communicate is misdirected as the use of the app began under the previous administration.
On Monday, The Atlantic&#8217;s editor-in-chief, Jeffrey Goldberg, <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2025/03/trump-administration-accidentally-texted-me-its-war-plans/682151/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">revealed</a> that he was mistakenly added to a Signal group of top Trump officials discussing plans to attack the Houthis. A Senate Intelligence Committee hearing scheduled for after Cotton’s appearance on Fox News featured two of the officials also included in the group, Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe.
“I bet a bunch of those senators that you see at the hearing today are using Signal, as well, to speak to each other or to speak to their aides,” Cotton said ahead of the expected questions over the Signal group at the hearing. “It is my understanding that the Biden administration authorized Signal as a means of communication that was consistent with presidential record-keeping requirements for its administration, and that continued into the Trump administration.”
“It&#8217;s simply another messaging app like the iMessage app on your iPhone or email servers that every administration has set up in which senior administration officials can communicate with each other,” Cotton said.
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I joined Fox &amp; Friends to preview today’s open Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on the Worldwide Threat Assessment. <a href="https://t.co/F807jZsKcC">pic.twitter.com/F807jZsKcC</a>
&mdash; Tom Cotton (@SenTomCotton) <a href="https://twitter.com/SenTomCotton/status/1904517075273420865?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 25, 2025</a></blockquote>
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Revelations about the Signal group chat, parts of which were published in The Atlantic on Monday, sparked questions about National Security Advisor Mike Waltz’s future in the administration. Goldberg reported that he had been added to the sensitive group chat by an account labeled “Michael Waltz.”
President Donald Trump dismissed suggestions that he could fire Waltz over the Signal group on Tuesday. Trump told Fox News that “he’s not getting fired” and called the Signal group a “mistake,” but added that “nothing important” was shared in the thread.
Goldberg said that sensitive information was relayed in the Signal thread that had the potential to damage “American military and intelligence personnel, particularly in the broader Middle East” if it were to be released. He did not publish the alleged messages he referred to.

Tom Cotton: Biden Admin Authorized Signal App For Communication Between Top Officials

Mike Waltz

Politics

The Atlantic

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) warned this week that the threat of a surprise attack in the Pacific from Communist China was much higher than people realize because they have managed to lull the world to sleep with their repeated military exercises.
Cotton made the remarks during an interview with conservative radio host Hugh Hewitt this week while talking about his new book &#8220;Seven Things You Can&#8217;t Say About China.&#8221;
&#8220;China is justly unpopular with the vast majority of Americans, and most of those Americans are very worried about China,&#8221; Cotton said. &#8220;But if anything, it&#8217;s actually much worse. The threat is pervasive. It&#8217;s present today. It&#8217;s not remote in the future, and it is something that affects your everyday life in America, not just, you know, something that might affect our strategic position in the world years from now.&#8221;
Cotton said that one of the greatest threats China poses to the world is with its &#8220;gray zone&#8221; activities, a term that refers to coercive actions that are shy of armed conflict, but go further than normal diplomatic, economic, and other activities, and are used to advance a nation&#8217;s interests.
He was specifically asked about the numerous incursions into Taiwanese waters and airspace by the Chinese military and whether China may one day pull the trigger and launch a surprise attack on Taiwan.
&#8220;I don&#8217;t think we can ever take that for granted. I know that Taiwan, and, for that matter, Japan does not either,&#8221; Cotton said. &#8220;That&#8217;s why the increasing number of recent years of naval and air patrols by Communist China in Taiwan&#8217;s airspace and its waters, just like in Japan&#8217;s southwest islands, are so deeply troubling.&#8221;
&#8220;It gives the people, Liberation Army, Air Force, and Navy more opportunities to train for the operation in which they might go for the jugular in Taiwan,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It puts severe stress on Taiwan and Japan&#8217;s military — both their equipment and their people. You know, in times when you might be, say, doing operations or maintenance or training or just giving your troops a break, they have to scramble to intercept those Chinese aircraft and ships, and I think it also can&#8217;t help but to lead to a bit of a sense of complacency and dull the acuity of the antennae of everyone who&#8217;s involved.&#8221;
Cotton warned that on the 2,000th time that China illegally enters Taiwanese airspace, nothing may happen, and then the very next time, they may decide to launch a full-scale invasion.
&#8220;So I think that we have serious reason to be very concerned about all of these incursions,&#8221; he said.
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Senator Tom Cotton on the budget/reconciliation process and the resources the Intel Community needs" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3nNZ_8IV8Kw?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Tom Cotton Feb 19

Tom Cotton Sounds Alarm Over Threat Of Surprise Attack From Chinese Military

Communist China

Taiwan

Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-AR) praised President Donald Trump on Sunday for conducting &#8220;long overdue&#8221; strikes on Iranian-backed Houthi terrorists in Yemen.
Cotton made the remarks during an interview with Maria Bartiromo on &#8220;Sunday Morning Futures&#8221; when asked about the message that the U.S. aimed to send to Iran with the strikes.
He said that all of America&#8217;s adversaries — Russia, China, Iran, North Korea — want is to &#8220;upend the United States led order that has benefited our citizens for so long by keeping America safe and prosperous.&#8221;
&#8220;The strikes against the Houthi rebels in Yemen last night was long overdue,&#8221; Cotton said. &#8220;Going back to the October 7, attacks against Israel, they&#8217;ve been shutting down shipping in the Red Sea. That&#8217;s dangerous, not just for America&#8217;s sailors who are there, but also it&#8217;s bad for your wallet here in America. It drives up shipping costs, which drives up the prices you pay.&#8221;
&#8220;Yet Joe Biden, let our ships, let our sailors just sit in the Red Sea like sitting ducks,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;President Trump made it clear that it was long overdue. We&#8217;re not going to allow it anymore. We are going to protect our interests. And he also made it clear to Iran that we know what they&#8217;re up to. Where did a bunch of goat herders in Yemen get one-way attack drones and cruise missiles? They got them from Iran.&#8221;
Cotton said that the Houthis should know moving forward that if the Houthis &#8220;don&#8217;t get the lesson, then of course, I believe President Trump will strike back even twice as hard.&#8221;
&#8220;And once again, the most important threat is the threat of Iran&#8217;s nuclear weapons program,&#8221; he added. &#8220;It&#8217;s not just a threat to Israel or our friends in the Middle East. They&#8217;re also building intercontinental missiles under the flimsy cover of a space launch program that could strike the United States in just a number of years. So this is a direct and imminent threat to the United States. That&#8217;s why President Trump has said repeatedly, we&#8217;re in the final days of this dispute over Iran&#8217;s nuclear program. It&#8217;s really up to them how it ends.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Today exclusively on <a href="https://twitter.com/SundayFutures?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SundayFutures</a> with <a href="https://twitter.com/MariaBartiromo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MariaBartiromo</a>, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton <a href="https://twitter.com/SenTomCotton?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SenTomCotton</a> about President Trump moving to unleash America&#39;s Energy Independence. <a href="https://twitter.com/FoxNews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FoxNews</a> <a href="https://t.co/NIAMEvaPKq">pic.twitter.com/NIAMEvaPKq</a>
&mdash; SundayMorningFutures (@SundayFutures) <a href="https://twitter.com/SundayFutures/status/1901294084376994282?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Senate Impeachment Trial Of President Donald Trump Begins

Tom Cotton Praises Trump’s Strikes On Houthi Terrorists

Houthis

Security officers escorted <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/usda" target="_blank" rel="noopener">U.S. Department of Agriculture</a> Inspector General Phyllis Fong out of her office this week after she refused to leave following her termination by President Donald Trump.
Reuters reported that the incident happened on Monday after Fong, who served in the department for 22 years, told colleagues that she intended to stay after being fired.
She reportedly claimed that the administration did not follow the proper protocols in firing her, the report said.
In an email, she claimed that the Council of the Inspectors General on Integrity and Efficiency “has taken the position that these termination notices do not comply with the requirements set out in law and therefore are not effective at this time.”
Trump fired 18 inspectors general across the U.S. government last week, which triggered opponents who claimed that he did not follow the law in doing so because he did not give Congress advance notice.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, defended Trump’s decision over the weekend.
“Time and time again, the Supreme Court has said that Congress can’t impose restrictions on the president’s power to remove officers,” Cotton said. “In President Trump’s first term, he removed the Director of the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau despite limitations on the President’s constitutional power to remove officers, that was litigated at the Supreme Court and the president won.”
“So ultimately, these inspectors general serve at the pleasure of the President,” he added. “He wants new people in there. He wants people who focused on getting out waste and fraud and abuse and reforming these agencies, he has a right to have to get in there who he wants.”

House Oversight and Government Reform Committee

Security Escorts USDA Inspector General Out Of Building For Refusing To Leave After Being Fired

Executive

USDA

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee and Chairman of the Senate Republican Conference, urged President Donald Trump over the weekend to reconsider pulling the protective security detail off of several administration officials who served during his first term in office.
Cotton made the remarks during a Sunday interview on &#8220;Fox News Sunday&#8221; when asked about Trump&#8217;s decision to pull the details off of former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former national security adviser John Bolton, and former Iran envoy Brian Hook.
&#8220;I would encourage the president to revisit the decision for those people who are being targeted by Iran,&#8221; Cotton said, noting that even Trump has been a target for Iranian assassination over the last few years in retaliation for the killing of Iranian terrorist commander Qasem Soleimani.
&#8220;As the chairman of the Intelligence Committee, I&#8217;ve reviewed the intelligence in the last few days, the threat to anyone involved in President Trump&#8217;s strike on Qasem Soleimani is persistent,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s real. Iran is committed to vengeance against all of these people.&#8221;
&#8220;In fact, the chief of staff of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence agreed with me that if these threats were against him or his family that he would want security because the threats are real,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;There are gaps in our coverage. We don&#8217;t know what we don&#8217;t know, and it&#8217;s better to be safe than sorry, because it&#8217;s not just about these men who helped President Trump carry on his policy in his first term.&#8221;
Cotton said that the protective details also protect other innocent people who could get caught up in any kind of assassination attempts, including random bystanders in public spaces.
&#8220;It&#8217;s also about the President being able to get good people and get good advice,&#8221; Cotton said. &#8220;If people are saying going to work for the president now on Iran or China or North Korea or the Mexican drug cartels, they might hesitate to do so, or they might hesitate if they&#8217;re in office, to give him the advice he needs or carry out the policies that he decides upon.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) urges Trump to reconsider pulling the security details of former officials who have been threatened by Iran:
“I would encourage the president to revisit the decision for those people who are being targeted by Iran as the president was targeted for… <a href="https://t.co/uquQyjNoeN">pic.twitter.com/uquQyjNoeN</a>
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealSaavedra/status/1883555853044732330?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2025</a></blockquote>

Senate Judiciary Committee Considers Nominations For Judges

Cotton Urges Trump To ‘Revisit’ His Decision To Pull Protective Details Off People Targeted By Iran

John Bolton

Mike Pompeo

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) said defended President Donald Trump&#8217;s nominee to be the director of National Intelligence, former Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI), saying that no one should be questioning her patriotism or integrity.
Cotton made the remarks during a Sunday interview on &#8220;Fox News Sunday&#8221; ahead of Gabbard&#8217;s confirmation hearing this week in front of the Senate Intelligence Committee, a committee that is chaired by Cotton.
Host Shannon Bream asked Cotton about concerns that some members had about Gabbard&#8217;s past interactions with foreign adversaries or things that she has said about people who betrayed the U.S.
Cotton said that he has spoken with Gabbard on many occasions, as have the other senators, and that they have also received her background back from the FBI along with her financial disclosures.
He said that she will receive a full hearing on Thursday that will be &#8220;just like the hearing that we conducted for John Ratcliffe and the hearings that the committee has conducted for nominees from both the Democratic and Republican Presidents alike. No more, no less, no better, no worse.&#8221;
&#8220;I understand that people have their differences of opinion with Mrs. Gabbard, probably some Republicans disagree with the votes she&#8217;s cast as a Democratic Congresswoman,&#8221; he said. &#8220;A lot of Democrats may be upset that she finally saw the light and left the Democratic Party.&#8221;
&#8220;I do hope, though, that we won&#8217;t see anyone questioning her patriotism,&#8221; Cotton added. &#8220;Hillary Clinton has basically called her a traitor in the past. This is a woman who served more than 20 years in our nation&#8217;s army. She&#8217;s passed five different background checks. I reviewed the latest one. It&#8217;s clean as a whistle. It&#8217;s fine for people to have policy differences and ask questions about those differences. I hope no one would impugn Mrs. Gabbard&#8217;s patriotism or her integrity.&#8221;
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
WATCH: Sen. Tom Cotton defends President Donald Trump’s nominee to be the next Director of National Intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard.
&#8220;A lot of Democrats may be upset that she finally saw the light and left the Democratic Party.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/ELKyk0C1dL">pic.twitter.com/ELKyk0C1dL</a>
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1883601397385736616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2025</a></blockquote>

Donald Trump Meets With Republican Senators At The NRSC

Tom Cotton Defends Tulsi Gabbard: No One Should Question Her ‘Patriotism Or Integrity’

Tulsi Gabbard

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR), Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, defended President Donald Trump&#8217;s decision to fire 18 inspectors general this week, saying that the U.S. Supreme Court has already ruled in Trump&#8217;s favor as it relates to his power to fire federal employees.
Cotton made the remarks during a Sunday interview on &#8220;Fox News Sunday&#8221; when asked about the firings by host Shannon Bream after critics have called the move illegal because Trump did not first notify Congress.
&#8220;Time and time again, the Supreme Court has said that Congress can&#8217;t impose restrictions on the president&#8217;s power to remove officers,&#8221; Cotton said. &#8220;In President Trump&#8217;s first term, he removed the Director of the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau despite limitations on the President&#8217;s constitutional power to remove officers, that was litigated at the Supreme Court and the president won.&#8221;
&#8220;So ultimately, these inspectors general serve at the pleasure of the President,&#8221; he added. &#8220;He wants new people in there. He wants people who focused on getting out waste and fraud and abuse and reforming these agencies, he has a right to have to get in there who he wants.&#8221;
When asked if he thinks that those roles will be filled by Trump, Cotton said: &#8220;I believe so.&#8221;
&#8220;When he says he wants to fill those offices, maybe he won&#8217;t fill them immediately, because there&#8217;s an entire administration to staff, and he may have other priorities, but I think the President&#8217;s inherent power to remove officers will be upheld if it&#8217;s challenged in court, as it has been time and again for Democratic and Republican Presidents alike,&#8221; he said.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
WATCH: Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) defends President Trump firing inspectors general:
“Time and time again, the Supreme Court has said that Congress can&#8217;t impose restrictions on the president&#8217;s power to remove officers&#8230;” <a href="https://t.co/c6rf7RJFGX">pic.twitter.com/c6rf7RJFGX</a>
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1883600582688244222?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 26, 2025</a></blockquote>

Elise Stefanik testifies at UN ambassador confirmation hearing

Tom Cotton Defends Trump Firing 18 Inspectors General

Inspector general

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