ATLANTIC MONTHLY
by Jeffrey Goldberg
January 30, 2015

Ron Dermer answers questions about John Boehner and Iran…The speaker’s office initially reached out to me regarding the idea of the prime minister giving a speech less than two weeks before an official invitation was sent. We said that we were open to making such an address and went back and forth with the speaker’s office to see if there were potential dates that could work…. The final decision to invite the prime minister was made by the speaker’s office the day before he was invited—and I was informed of it that afternoon. It was also made clear to me that it was the speaker’s responsibility and normal protocol for the Speaker’s office to notify the administration of the invitation. That is why I felt it would be inappropriate for me to raise the issue with the administration, including in my meeting with the secretary of state, until the speaker notified them. READ MORE