[3] He was elected to the Council of Representatives as part of the Sunni Arab-led Iraqi Accord Front list in 2005.

He was imprisoned for opposing the Gulf War in 1990 and sentenced to death, which was commuted to 15 years after payment of bribes.

Upon his return to Washington, Bush said the following about Mashhadani at a press conference: The Sunni—I was impressed, by the way, by the Speaker—Denny Hastert told me I'd like him; Denny met with him.

[4] In July 2006 Mashhadani told Al-Sharqiyah television the killings and kidnappings were the fault of "Jews, Israelis and Zionists...using Iraqi money and oil to frustrate the Islamic movement in Iraq".

[7] In late July 2006 at a speech before a UN-sponsored conference on transitional justice and reconciliation in Baghdad he said "Just get your hands off Iraq and the Iraqi people and Muslim countries, and everything will be all right."

[8] On September 6, 2006, Mashhadani expressed grave concern for the government of Iraq if its attempts at national reconciliation fail.

The consensus was reached after reports that Mashhadani's bodyguards assaulted a Shi'ite legislator, the culmination of a series of "thuggish" acts by the speaker.