As last week neared its end, JD Vance was asked for his response to Senate Republicans who have criticized the Trump administration’s deal with Iran. “I guess I would say to anybody, any of the critics, is No. 1, have a little bit of faith in the president of United States,” the vice president replied. “The idea that he is going to strike a deal that’s been bad for the American people, it’s preposterous.”

The trouble is, a variety of GOP senators have heard the White House’s plea for trust and patience, and they have decided not to care.

Almost immediately after many on Capitol Hill started learning about the contours of the agreement, some Republicans joined Democrats in denouncing the policy. Retiring Sen. Bill Cassidy of Louisiana, for example, described the administration’s approach to Iran as “the worst foreign policy blunder in decades.” Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas added, “History teaches that giving billions of dollars to theocratic lunatics who want to murder us is not a good idea. I think the president is receiving some very poor advice on this deal.”

As the week progressed and lawmakers learned more details, the scope of the intraparty criticisms intensified. Politico reported:

Senate Armed Services Chair Roger Wicker on Thursday panned the Iran peace deal signed by President Donald Trump this week, saying the agreement “negotiates away the victories of Operation Epic Fury in ways that are completely out of step with the president’s goals.” […]

In a statement, Wicker criticized the $300 billion fund for Iran’s reconstruction and economic development, even if the money is not supplied by American taxpayers.

The Mississippi Republican was careful not to rush to judgment and waited days before commenting on the White House’s memorandum of understanding. But the more he learned about the policy, the less he liked it.

The same day, Republican Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, came to a very similar conclusion, sharing concerns that “certain aspects of this deal are a step in the wrong direction.”

As The Washington Post summarized, “The pushback was notable because neither Cotton nor Wicker are frequent critics of the administration.”

It’s a key detail: When Cassidy breaks with the White House, it’s no longer much of a surprise, since he’s retiring at the end of the year, and Trump helped personally orchestrate his recent primary defeat. But Wicker and Cotton appear to actually care about the substance of the Iran deal, and despite being conservative Republicans who nearly always toe the party line, they feel compelled to tell the public that Trump’s deal is a bad one.

Time will tell what becomes of this, but with 19 weeks remaining before the midterm elections — less when we factor in early voting — it’s not exactly a good sign to see Republicans divided against one another on a war and efforts to resolve the conflict.

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