Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) has accused the Obama administration of withholding information from Congress pertinent to Russia's violation of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty.
Cruz, a member of the Senate's Armed Services Committee and a Republican 2016 presidential contender, wrote a letter to President Barack Obama on Friday demanding that he release a classified Pentagon report to Congress. He has requested a response from the White House no later than Sept. 1.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) speaks at the Point of Grace Church for the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition 2015 Spring Kickoff, April 25, 2015 in Waukee, Iowa. (Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images)
"I am deeply concerned that the Obama administration has been withholding information it is obligated to provide to Congress to protect what it considers to be the president’s ‘legacy achievements’ — such as New START and the recent nuclear deal with Iran," Cruz told the Washington Free Beacon.
The State Department has confirmed that Russia has violated the treaty but has not released any specifics. According to the Free Beacon, U.S. officials have said it involves a cruise missile called the R-500.
"Grave concerns of Russian compliance exist beyond the R-500 cruise missile, as Russia has potentially mislabeled intermediate missiles as intercontinental ballistic missiles, and fielded air defense systems that possess ground-to-ground ballistic capability,” Cruz wrote in his letter. "If true, these would not only constitute clear violations of the INF treaty, but present a material threat to the United States and our allies."
According to the Free Beacon, the Obama administration is blocking a Pentagon report that supposedly outlines the country's responses to an INF Treaty violation.
According to former Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), Congress needs the report in order to fix problems in the legislation.
"As we look to the near-term future, we need to consider how we’re going to respond to Russia’s INF violations," Rogers, a former House Intelligence Committee chairman, said at an Air Force Association breakfast in July, according to the Free Beacon. "Congress will not continue to tolerate the administration dithering on this issue."
Read the rest of the Free Beacon's report here.
