By Pat Meehan Last Friday marked the second anniversary of an agreement on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), better known as the Iran nuclear deal. I was a critic of the deal at the time, and I continue to be alarmed by Iran's aggression on the world stage. The Trump administration on Monday certified, as required by Congress, that Iran is in technical compliance with the terms of the deal. Many Democrats and some in the news media will no doubt trumpet this as a validation of the deal and a rebuke of its critics -- President Trump included. But the concern of those of us who opposed the deal was never that the regime would fail to comply. Our concern rests in the deal's fundamental flaws. The agreement's scope is so narrow and its mandates so diluted that Iranian compliance places no real burden on the regime. So instead of ending Iran's nuclear program, the mullahs have simply reduced it in scope. Tehran's right to enrich uranium is protected and it preserves enough centrifuges to construct a nuclear weapon. Demands by the United States for "anytime, anywhere" inspections were foolishly abandoned. And to seal the deal, in the dead of night, the Obama administration delivered $1.7 billion in cash as a ransom payment to the Iranian regime. The JCPOA essentially provides Tehran the time it needs to hone and perfect its delivery mechanism for a nuclear weapon. And we all know where such a weapon will be aimed once the regime perfects that capability -- first at Israel, then at the United States. It was the inevitable result of a president watching the clock tick down on the closing days of his presidency, desperate to reach a legacy-defining deal at any cost.But the damaging legacy of the Iran deal is felt most acutely today because of what was left off the table entirely. Iran continues to develop advanced ballistic missiles. It supports rebels in Yemen and Bashar Assad in Syria, giving the regime a crucial lifeline of men and materiel responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocents. It remains the principal state sponsor of terrorism, backing groups like Hezbollah and even the Sunni terrorist group Hamas. To add insult to injury, Iran's funding of terrorism has continued unabated while it still owes Americans billions of dollars for attacks on our citizens. Free of sanctions, Iranian oil is flowing out and foreign currency is flowing in. The Iranian military is ramping up the purchase of sophisticated air defense systems and other equipment from Russia. There are reports from German intelligence that Iran has been using its cash influx to buy nuclear and missile technology in defiance of sanctions and U.N. resolutions. The Iran deal has given the mullahs' regime what it needed most -- cash, time and breathing room. America, on the other hand, finds itself stuck in a deal too weak to be effective but strong enough to tie our own hands in dealings with Tehran. The crippling sanctions so effective in bringing the Iranians to the table in the first place are no longer a tool at our disposal so long as Iran remains in "technical" compliance with the deal. A round of narrower sanctions imposed by the Trump administration after ballistic missile tests in February was a turning point: It showed that no longer would a U.S. government bend over backward to accommodate the regime and preserve the deal. Congress is also working on passing a sanctions bill targeting Iran's ballistic missile development, support for terrorism, weapons transfers and human rights violations. These are encouraging steps, but more must be done. We cannot continue the previous administration's doctrine of acquiescence to a regime that uses its influence to threaten our national security, support terrorism and oppress its own citizens. I hope that President Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson use their considerable authority to thoroughly investigate claims that Iran is not compliant with the nuclear deal. I also encourage the administration to examine Iran's hostile actions in other arenas and develop a coherent strategy that rebukes Iran's aggression and truly puts America first.

On April 27, 2018, Meehan resigned from Congress. He said, "While I do believe I would be exonerated of any wrongdoing, I also did not want to put my staff through the rigors of an Ethics Committee investigation and believed it was best for them to have a head start on new employment rather than being caught up in an inquiry. And since I have chosen to resign, the inquiry will not become a burden to taxpayers and committee staff." He also said that he would pay back the $39,000 he used from his office account to settle a sexual harassment claim against him. He had previously announced on January 25, 2018, that he would not run for re-election. Meehan was removed from his position on the House Ethics Committee on January 20, 2018, after The New York Times reported that he had settled a misconduct complaint by a former staff member with funds allocated for his congressional office. According to the report, an unnamed aide said that Meehan made unwanted romantic advances toward her in 2017. The report said that Meehan became hostile toward the woman when she did not reciprocate. A spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said that Meehan would face an investigation by the House Ethics Committee. Meehan’s spokesman said the congressman denied the allegations and any wrongdoing. He also said that Meehan wanted to lift the confidentiality agreement on the settlement to “ensure a full and open airing of the facts.” On January 23, 2018, Meehan told the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News that he had told the staffer “that I was a happily married man and I was not interested in a relationship, particularly not any sexual relationship, but we were soul mates. I think that the idea of soul mate is that sort of person that you go through remarkable experiences together.” He also released a letter that he had written her in May 2017 after he found out she was in a relationship. The letter encouraged her in her relationship and he said that she had responded positively to it. He said he did not harass her and that any hostility he showed was related to votes on the repeal of the Affordable Care Act during the same time period. He said he would repay the funds for the settlement if the Ethics Committee determined that he harassed her.

See also: Sexual assault and harassment in American politics (2017-2018) Patrick Meehan was mentioned during a wave of sexual assault and misconduct allegations in 2017 and 2018. Meehan was removed from his position on the House Ethics Committee on January 20, 2018, after The New York Times reported that he had settled a misconduct complaint by a former staff member with funds allocated for his congressional office. According to the report, an unnamed aide said that Meehan made unwanted romantic advances toward her in 2017. The report said that Meehan became hostile toward the woman when she did not reciprocate. A spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said that Meehan would face an investigation by the House Ethics Committee. Meehan’s spokesman said the congressman denied the allegations and any wrongdoing. He also said that Meehan wanted to lift the confidentiality agreement on the settlement to “ensure a full and open airing of the facts.” On January 23, 2018, Meehan told the Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News that he had told the staffer “that I was a happily married man and I was not interested in a relationship, particularly not any sexual relationship, but we were soul mates. I think that the idea of soul mate is that sort of person that you go through remarkable experiences together.” He also released a letter that he had written her in May 2017 after he found out she was in a relationship. The letter encouraged her in her relationship and he said that she had responded positively to it. He said he did not harass her and that any hostility he showed was related to votes on the repeal of the Affordable Care Act during the same time period. He said he would repay the funds for the settlement if the Ethics Committee determined that he harassed her. On January 25, 2018, Meehan announced that he would not seek re-election. He said, "Unfortunately, recent events concerning my office and the settlement of certain harassment allegations have become a major distraction. I need to own it because it is my own conduct that fueled the matter.” On April 27, 2018, Meehan resigned from Congress. He said, "While I do believe I would be exonerated of any wrongdoing, I also did not want to put my staff through the rigors of an Ethics Committee investigation and believed it was best for them to have a head start on new employment rather than being caught up in an inquiry. And since I have chosen to resign, the inquiry will not become a burden to taxpayers and committee staff." He also said that he would pay back the $39,000 he used from his office account to settle a sexual harassment claim against him.