GOP Congressman Calls Out Trump’s Stalled Iran Peace Talks: Feels Like ‘We’re Charlie Brown’ Kicking the Football

Republican Congressman Carlos Gimenez (FL) appears to be losing patience on the Trump administration’s peace talks with Iran, telling Fox Business host Stuart Varney on Tuesday that “I’m starting to feel like we’re Charlie Brown” and Iran keeps pulling back the football.

Appearing on Varney & Co. on Tuesday morning, Gimenez was asked if he agreed with an op-ed that appeared in The Washington Post the day before, entitled, “Israel Fights While Trump Talks.”

“Is Trump helping Iran by ordering Netanyahu not to hit Hezbollah?” Varney asked.

Gimenez began by saying, “I hate to depart from my president, but actually I agree with it.”

He then launched into the Peanuts-flavored analogy.

“Look, I’m starting to feel like we’re Charlie Brown and Iran is Lucy and every time we go kick the ball, it’s been taken away. You know, we’re close to a deal, a day away, two days away from a deal, and it’s not happening. And so, if I were in Vegas right now, I’d be betting against in two days we’re gonna be right where we are today. I think that bad behavior deserves punishment, and unfortunately, the Iranians are exhibiting bad behavior, and they’re not suffering any consequences for that.

He continued: “As you can tell, I’m a little more hawkish than the president would be.”

Varney then asked if Gimenez believes Iran is winning, “because they’re playing for time, they’re getting some time, and they know that the midterms are coming and our president is under pressure.”

“Is that the game they’re playing?” Varney pressed.

What followed was another surprising answer:

“Of course. I think that’s the game they’re playing, and I think what we need to do is take away their trump card, which is — pardon the pun, OK? — it’s the Straits of Hormuz and so, we need to get to the point where we start the Strait of Hormuz open again, with or without Iran’s help, take away that trump card, and every time that they give us a deadline or we give them a deadline and they don’t meet it on coming to our terms, then they’ve gotta suffer the consequences. And that’s the only thing that they understand.”

Gimenez added that he believes Iran is “playing us.”

“Right now, they think they’re playing us — I happen to agree with them — I think they are playing us,” he said. “And I think we need to takea little bit more direct action, and take away that trump card and make them suffer a little bit for those days, every day that goes by we don’t get a deal.”

Watch above via Fox Business.

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