President Obama Signs Law Banning Iran's UN Ambassador, But With a Signing Statement that the Law is Only "Advisory"

The Islamic Republic of Iran has named as its new Ambassador to the United Nations a man who was involved in the taking of hostages at the U.S. Embassy in Tehran. The United States, enacting legislation sponsored by Senator Ted Cruz, prohibit entry to the U.S. to anyone who has engaged in terrorist activity against the U.S. or its allies.

Although President Obama signed the law, he noted in a signing statement that he will continue to use “discretion” on its enforcement, citing his Republican predecessor President George H.W. Bush. "[A]s President Bush also observed, ‘curtailing by statute my constitutional discretion to receive or reject ambassadors is neither a permissible nor a practical solution.’ I shall therefore continue to treat section 407, as originally enacted and as amended by S. 2195, as advisory in circumstances in which it would interfere with the exercise of this discretion.”

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(mew)