Washington, D.C. –  Congressman J. Randy Forbes (VA-04), Chairman of the House Armed Services Seapower and Projection Forces Subcommittee, released the following statement in response to the U.S. State Department’s admission that Administration officials deleted footage from a 2013 press briefing that undermined the Administration's narrative about the Iran nuclear deal:

“The State Department’s stunning admission provides further evidence of how far this Administration is willing to go to sell its policies to the American people. Coming after Ben Rhodes boasted about his success in spinning the media, this incident makes it clear that the White House has been waging what is in effect a coordinated propaganda campaign to conceal the true nature of its dangerous deal with Tehran. It's apparent, from these revelations and from the weak response to Iran's capture of 10 U.S. Navy sailors and other provocations in the Gulf, that there is very little this Administration won't do to keep that ill-advised deal alive." 

Forbes opposed the Administration’s nuclear deal with Iran and recently authored legislation (H.Res. 709) condemning the actions of Iranian military and paramilitary forces in the Arabian Gulf as a violation of international law and stating that Congress will consider the behavior of Iran's forces in the Gulf when voting on sanctions legislation pertaining to Iran. The bill urges the Administration to respond strongly to past and future instances of dangerous and unprofessional behavior by Iranian forces.

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