White House: Republicans’ Iran Letter ‘Not a Laughing Matter’
"Signatories to the letter were 47 Republicans. This isn't a bipartisan letter and I think that on its face is an indication that this is an effort to inject partisan politics into a very serious foreign policy matter, something that the president has identified as one of the most significant foreign policy challenges facing the country right now.
I will say that that's also why I was surprised to see that while there may be some Republicans who suggested the letter was something that was sent on principle, that there are at least two anonymous Republican aides on Capitol Hill who, separately, described the letter as 'cheeky.' And another quote -- another individual who's described as a top senior -- as a top Republican Senate aide indicated that the president -- that the administration 'has no sense of humor about this.' They are right. I don't think this is a particularly amusing matter.
We are talking about the nuclear weapons program of a adversary of the United States that on a daily basis violently threatens our closest ally in the region. So it's not a laughing matter and it's not one that this administration takes lightly despite of the comments of some of these Republican aides."