Among elected officials from New Jersey, Governor Chris Christie is not the biggest asshole. That designation belongs to Sen. Bob Menendez, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who is actively undermining the administration’s foreign policy and making war much more likely with Iran. The White House is seething, and they want everyone to know it.

The White House on Thursday challenged a group of senators to admit they are working to push the country toward war with Iran, upping the tension between the administration and Senate advocates of tough new sanctions amid nuclear negotiations.

“If certain members of Congress want the United States to take military action, they should be up front with the American public and say so,” Bernadette Meehan, National Security Council spokeswoman, said in a statement. “Otherwise, it’s not clear why any member of Congress would support a bill that possibly closes the door on diplomacy and makes it more likely that the United States will have to choose between military options or allowing Iran’s nuclear program to proceed.”

The “certain members” the White House is referring to are led by Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), who is pushing legislation, backed by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, that would tighten sanctions on the Iranian regime despite the ongoing negotiations.

Closing some lanes on the George Washington Bridge endangered some people’s lives, but trying to push the United States into a shooting war with Iran could endanger millions of lives. Bob Menendez needs to be challenged in a primary and he needs to be defeated. The senators who are backing him on this need a major shot across the bow to warn them off their idiocy.

Here are their names: Cory Booker of New Jersey, Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Bob Casey Jr. of Pennsylvania, Chris Coons of Delaware, Ben Cardin of Maryland, Joe Manchin of West Virginia, Mark Warner of Virginia, Kay Hagan of North Carolina, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, Mark Pryor of Arkansas, Mary Landrieu of Louisiana, and Mark Begich of Alaska.

It’s a weird collection. Basically it is a group from the Mid-Atlantic that represents large Jewish populations and a group from red states that worries that they’ll be attacked for being insufficiently belligerent.

The problem is, while they’re worrying about covering their political asses, they’re making a catastrophic war more likely. Here is National Security Council spokeswoman Bernadette Meehan’s full statement:

This bill is in direct contradiction to the Administration’s work to peacefully resolve the international community’s concerns with Iran’s nuclear program. We know that this proposed legislation would divide the international community, drive the Iranians to take a harder line, and possibly end negotiations. This bill would have a negative bearing on the sanctions regime too. Let us not forget: sanctions work because we convinced our partners to take the steps that we seek. If our partners no longer believe that we are serious about finding a negotiated solution, then our sanctions regime would suffer.

If Congress passes this bill, it will be proactively taking an action that will make diplomacy less likely to succeed. The American people have been clear that they prefer a peaceful resolution to this issue. If certain members of Congress want the United States to take military action, they should be up front with the American public and say so. Otherwise, it’s not clear why any member of Congress would support a bill that possibly closes the door on diplomacy and makes it more likely that the United States will have to choose between military options or allowing Iran’s nuclear program to proceed.

The President has been clear that he has a responsibility to fully test whether we can achieve a comprehensive solution through diplomatic means, before he pursues alternatives. Passing new sanctions legislation right now will undermine our efforts to achieve a peaceful resolution.

The president is a lot more popular with Democrats in New Jersey than Bob Menendez. Menendez is picking a fight with the wrong guy. And he’s wrong.

He is going to pay a price for this. Hopefully, it will cost him his job.