Middle East/North Africa

McCarthy: Iran deal not to distract from O-Care

The No. 3 Republican in the House on Sunday brushed aside suggestions that President Obama had struck a nuclear deal with Iran to take attention away from the botched rollout of his signature healthcare law.

Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said he hoped “that would never be the case.” Other Republicans, like Senate Minority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas), have suggested that the president was trying to distract from the problems with ObamaCare.

{mosads}“I would never judge upon that when we’re dealing with international,” McCarthy said on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

“I know they need some type of other news but that would be the biggest mistake any administration could do.”

The California Republican also endorsed the plan, now laid out by both Democrats and Republicans, to continue with congressional sanctions legislation but to delay its implementation for at least six months.

And McCarthy cautioned Obama “from overselling this deal,” noting Israel’s concerns and that the deal stops short of fully stopping Iran from getting a nuclear weapon.

“We should not take this lightly,” McCarthy said. “We have to have a full dismantling if we want the world to be safer.”