Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delved into the controversy over the letter sent to Iran by nearly four dozen Republican senators, harshly criticizing its signatories as being purposefully destructive.
Clinton, who is considering a presidential bid, said the 47 senators who signed the letter are either "trying to be helpful to the Iranians or harmful to the commander-in-chief."
"Either answer does discredit to the letter signatories," Clinton added. "The recent letter was out of step with the best traditions of American leadership."
The senators sent a letter to Iran saying they would work to unravel any deal reached between the United States and Iran over its nuclear program.
Clinton's comments came during the first news conference she's held since she left the State Department more than a year ago and was convened for her to address the controversy that she exclusively emailed on an email address from private server during her time as secretary of state.
Clinton addressed the Iran letter the day after it was released. One of the signatories, Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, who is also considering a presidential run, said he would "absolutely" send another letter to Iran.
"I would send another one tomorrow. I think the risk of a nuclear Iran is so great that we need to do everything possible to keep us from finding us in a situation where we are going to have a nuclear Iran," Rubio told NBC News after he spoke at a fire fighters conference in Washington, D.C.
- Leigh Ann Caldwell
