On Tuesday, we talked about how Democrats in the Senate had lined up unanimously behind Ted Cruz in the hopes of denying a diplomatic visa to would-be Iranian UN envoy, Hamid Aboutalebi. Aboutalebi was a terrorist belonged to the "student group" which held 52 Americans hostage for 444 days following the 1979 attack on the U.S. Embassy in Iran. In a direct slap in the face to the United States, Tehran selected him to be their newest UN delegate, and Cruz vowed to keep him out of Manhattan.
Cruz's bill passed the Senate with unanimous consent, and enjoyed the same support yesterday in the House.
Under mounting pressure from Congress, the White House has announced that Aboutalebi will not be granted entry to the United States.
From CBS White House correspondent Mark Knoller:
Now, this should have been a no-brainer. Frankly it's sad that it took a bill from Ted Cruz and 100% of congress to force the State Department's hand. Regardless, at least they're doing the right thing.
