That sure escalated quickly.
Backlash continued to mount Tuesday after 47 GOP senators sent to a letter to Iran's leaders on Monday warning any nuclear deal wouldn't be valid without congressional approval.
Not only was a White House petition started urging charges be filed against "against the 47 U.S. senators in violation of The Logan Act in attempting to undermine a nuclear agreement," but by Tuesday night, it had hit the 100,000 signature threshold required for an official response from the White House.
The Logan Act, which was enacted in 1799, states "any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both."
The authors of the petition make their case by saying "at a time when the United States government is attempting to reach a potential nuclear agreement with the Iranian government, 47 Senators saw fit to instead issue a condescending letter to the Iranian government stating that any agreement brokered by our President would not be upheld once the president leaves office.
"This is a clear violation of federal law. In attempting to undermine our own nation, these 47 senators have committed treason," the petition states.
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As you'd expect, the New York Daily also jumped on board with its front page on Tuesday:
An early look at tomorrow's front page. Traitors: http://t.co/hxH0LZfnIa Apple Watch: http://t.co/DSOzAK6H0c http://ift.tt/1NCqxfr
— New York Daily News (@NYDailyNews) March 10, 2015
The letter is turning into a bigger political spat than the Republicans' invite to Israeli Prime Minster Benjamin Netanyahu to speak before Congress.
On Monday, Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Illinois, joined a chorus of Democrats who blasted the other side of the aisle for its "political stunt."
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif even pushed back, calling the letter a "propaganda ploy," saying the authors of the letter "not only do not understand international law, but are not fully cognizant of the nuances of their own Constitution when it comes to presidential powers in the conduct of foreign policy."
And while Vice President Joe Biden said the letter is "is beneath the dignity of an institution I revere," Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Arkansas, fired back Tuesday morning, questioning if Biden even knows anything about foreign policy.
"Joe Biden, as Barack Obama's own secretary of defense has said, has been wrong about nearly every foreign policy and national security decision in the last 40 years," Cotton said.
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