White House Rejects Charges It Paid Iran Ransom To Free Prisoners

[uhnope]

Source: RFE/RL

The White House has rejected a charge from Republican leaders that it secretly paid Iran $400 million in cash in January as ransom for the release of imprisoned Americans.

The payment, which settled a decades-old reimbursement claim by Tehran for a cancelled U.S. arms deal, was delivered a day after five American prisoners in Tehran were released on January 16 as part of a prisoner exchange.

The Wall Street Journal reported on August 3 that the administration secretly airlifted the money in cash in multiple currencies to Iran -- a revelation that prompted Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and other GOP leaders to charge that the payment amounted to a ransom for the prisoners.

"The United States, under President [Barack] Obama, has not paid a ransom to secure the release of Americans unjustly detained in Iran," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said on August 3. "It is against the policy of the United States to pay ransom for hostages." Earnest did acknowledge, however, that the administration secretly airlifted the cash to Tehran. He said the payment was made in cash because the United States does not have a banking relationship with Iran.

Read more: http://www.rferl.org/content/white-house-rejects-charges-paid-iran-ransom-free-prisoners-/27899267.html

[truthisfreedom]

1. This comes down to one thing and one thing only.

Trump and the republicans at large cannot stand any positive result that does not involve loss of life on the part of our enemies.

It's their lack of negotiating skills that have left us in such financial distress in the first place. They always pick fights, and that always costs us a fuck-ton of money. And then a Democratic administration has to move in and spend 8 years cleaning that mess up.

[uawchild]

2. A rehash of right wing talking points

The overwhelming majority of this article is just a rehash of right wing talking points.

There have been a lot of articles on this latest supposed "scandal" here on DU, how is this LBN?

[TomCADem]

4. Exactly, Unfreezing Assets Now Equals Paying a Ransom

If anyone paid attention when the deal was being negotiated, the whole subject of unfreezing assets was a key component of the Iran nuclear deal and the lifting of sanctions.

[uhnope]

7. wait what?

[uawchild]

8. Your OP quotes right-wingers slamming the President at length -- didn't you read it?

Radio Free Europe, perhaps to appease the Republican controlled Congress that controls its funding, quotes SEVERAL right wing politicians at length in YOUR OP article they wrote.

Didn't you read it? Here:

"Republicans, including Trump, seized on the the paper's revelation about the secret airlift of cash as evidence that the payment was a ransom for freeing prisoners, however.

Senator John McCain said the timing of the payment suggested it was a ransom that has now incentivized more bad behavior from Iran.

"If true, this report confirms our long-standing suspicion that the administration paid a ransom in exchange for Americans unjustly detained in Iran," House Speaker Paul Ryan said. "It would also mark another chapter in the ongoing saga of misleading the American people to sell this dangerous nuclear deal."

Representative Jason Chaffetz, the chairman of the House Oversight Committee, demanded that U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry appear before his panel to explain the payment.

Trump sought to tie the payment to his Democratic opponent in the White House race, saying in a tweet, "Our incompetent Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, was the one who started talks to give 400 million dollars, in cash, to Iran. Scandal!"

Moreover, Trump sought to tie the payment to Iran's release of 10 American sailors who had veered off course in the Persian Gulf and been taken prisoner for one day by Iran's Revoluationary Guards on January 12 -- five days before the payment was delivered.

"It looks like we paid $400 million for the hostages," Trump said."When they took our sailors, they forced them to their knees and the only reason we got them back is that we hadn't paid the money yet. And that's the only reason we got 'em back. Otherwise, they would've had to wait until I became president."

Trump added that he believes the "terror money airlift [will] undoubtedly find its way into the hands of terrorists."
========

Trump, McCain, Chaffetz -- all distorting the truth and slamming the President in your OP.

So when you post a title only reply of "wait what?" does that mean you didn't read your own article?

Or did you actually approve of Trump, McCain and Chaaffetz smearing President Obama?

Please explain yourself.

[uhnope]

9. lol. conspiracies and more conspiracies

[uawchild]

10. People can believe you or their own eyes. Your article does indeed contain rightwing smears.

Your lack of substantive response has been noted.

Your OP article from Radio Free Europe indeed does have McCain, Chaffetz and Trump all smearing the President, repeating right-wing talking points ad nauseum.

I quoted YOUR own OP article, good grief.

[uhnope]

11. lol... "eyes"

Matthew 7:5

[underpants]

3. Watch all the media follow Fox News down yet another rabbit hole

They're #1!!!! You know

[melm00se]

5. Ransom or not

the timing could have been better

[Javaman]

6. isn't this kind of long term projection on the part of the repukes?

considering the deal ray-gun made with the Iranians about the hostages before the 1980 election.

[freebrew]

12. The way I see it....

Pres. Obama was just making good on Raygun's promises.

After all, that WAS part of the deal that clinched Ronnie's election, right?

[B2G]

13. Well he timing certainly sucked and the DOJ

objected to it.

So I'm not surprised this has become an issue.