Obama’s Cash Payment to Iran Was More Than a Ransom — It Broke Criminal Law

National Review ^ | August 6, 2016 | Andrew C. McCarthy

[SMGFan]

" By his own account, President Obama engaged in the complex cash transfer in order to end-run sanctions that prohibit the U.S. from having “a banking relationship with Iran.” The point of the sanctions is not to prevent banking with Iran; it is to prevent Iran from getting value from or through our financial system — the banking prohibition is a corollary. And the point of sanctions, if you happen to be the president of the United States sworn to execute the laws faithfully, is to follow them — not pat yourself on the back for keeping them in place while you willfully evade them. The president’s press conference is better understood as a confession than an explanation."

"The first is the law against providing material support to terrorists, Section 2339A of the federal penal code. It says that anyone who provides resources — including “currency or monetary instruments” — to a person or entity with knowledge that they are to be used in the preparation or carrying out of terrorism offenses is guilty of a serious felony. I’ve italicized “knowledge” to underscore that intent is not required; to be guilty, you just need to know."

"The second law involves money laundering, criminalized by Congress in Section 1956 of the penal code. There are several prohibited varieties of money laundering. It can be a crime, for example, to conduct a financial transaction involving money used to facilitate unlawful activity. And if money is transferred outside the United States, it can be illegal to use it to promote criminal activity."

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[OldNewYork]

Impeach.

[major-pelham]

No, but have to change the executive branch to do it though. Strikes me that Marc Rich was a piker compared to this.

[Truth29]

Of course, we would need a few million armed citizens to perform a citizens arrest for these laws to have any meaning. We seem to be short in that department. The DOJ and the US Congress will not only do nothing, but would actively cover for any Obama illegality.

[Don Corleone]

Now the Iranians can distribute the cash in untraceable form wherever they see fit,

After the recipiant takes his laaaarge service fee and puts it in a Swiss or Cayman account.

[jsanders2001]

If Obama were prosecuted for every act of treason it would require hanging several hundred times. I wonder what Martin Luther King would think about Obama getting all this protection and special privileges because <\i>of the color of his skin? I think he would come to the same conclusion I have. The man has Satan's protection. I wonder which hidden underground floor in the WH has the ritual altar and robes hanging in it?

[jch10]

I was about to type the same thing. Why haven’t impeachment or even criminal charges been filed? Where is Congress? They are all that stand between us and the Third World!

[Vic S]

Did we pay 150 Billion in cash to Iran? Of course we didn’t, just another Obama lie.

[Migraine]

That is exactly right. When Brocco said “we had to do it this way because we have no banking relationship w/ Iran”, my jaw dropped! I thought, “He just chose the lower the river solution to ‘raise the bridge, or, lower the river’ conundrum.”
The obvious solution to “we have no banking relationship w/ Iran” is to get legislation that would create one, or repeal legislation that prohibits it. Just damn! Where did we get this dumbass? OK, OK, I know: a whole lot of dumbasses voted for his dumb ass.

[Religion and Politics]

We have gotten to a point that the only thing that matters or judges a thing in politics (which encompasses all actions of the Obama WH now) are optics. The media can dismiss ANYTHING with a statement about how the whole thing served up bad optics. It is like a score, where the only penalty is losing the serve, or yielding a point.

Where is the law anymore?

[Liz]

According to the Boobambas, the $400 million represented:

<><>(1) the first installment of a $1.7 billion settlement the Obama administration reached with Iran to resolve a decades-old dispute over a failed arms deal signed just before the 1979 fall of Iran’s last monarch, Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi ( only Valerie---a onetime Iranian resident---would know that). The Boobambas said the $400 million "resolved claims" before an international tribunal in The Hague to make it sound more legit.

<><> (2) the $400 million also coincided with the formal implementation that same weekend of the landmark nuclear agreement reached between Tehran, the U.S. and other global powers the summer before. “With the Iran nuclear deal done, and,

<><> (3) "coincidentally," the $400 million was delivered as US prisoners were set to be released.

HO, HUM. AMERICAN PRISONERS JUST AN AFTERTHOUGHT: "The time was right to resolve the prisoner dispute.... as well,” Obama said on Jan. 17—without disclosing the $400 million cash payment.

==============================================

Dollars to donuts the language seen here is being used to cadge huge donations earmarked for M/M O's post-presidency get-rich-quick plans.

The dangers to US ntl security were apparent when the Clintons used foreign policy initiatives for foundation fund-raising.

Taxpayers demand to see donation solicitation letters sent out by the various Obama fund-raising entities....his 2 foundations and library fund.

Valerie's the one that writes this crap......taxpayers demand to see wire-transfers in and out of Valerie's office.

And if Obama receives donations from Iran, Taxpayers demand his foundations and library fund be closed down.

[Liz]

GOVERTNMENT FRAUD AT ITS FINEST---a get-rich-quick plan.

"Nice deal....I get half donated to my tax-exempt foundation.
Another chunk goes to my presidential library's "Muslim Prayer Room."

Obama's federal giveaways (that we know of). Priming the Obama
foundations pumps---giveaway tax dollars now --collect donations later:

<><> $150 billion to Muslim Iran in the nuclear deal...plus the latest handout

<><> $2 billion to help half-brother Malik advance his organization---the Muslim Brotherhood,

<><> $50 million to Malik/Barack's tax-exempt foundation in the form of a grant to Muslim Kenya.

<><> While the Muslim Brotherhood was in charge in Egypt, Obama (and Hillary) showered them w/ praise.....and billions of US dollars in aid, arms, tanks and planes. Payback is coming due.

<><> Obama gave $90 million US tax dollars to wealthy oil-rich Muslim African countries.

<><> the missing billions attached to Obamacare.

<><> Obama gave Michelle seventy-three million tax dollars to teach Muslim girls in Qatar

<><> Obama gave Michelle 100 million tax dollars to teach Muslim girls in Morocco.

[dila813]

If a private company had done this, they would be locked up for a long time in a Federal Pen.

[Lent]

The writer is not making the case out for ‘knowledge’. It’s a very high standard for culpability. They might believe it could possibly be used but trying to prove actual knowledge is difficult. In any event this lame duck president is on the way out. His legacy of being the worst and most divisive President will speak for itself.

[ScaniaBoy]

You are joking, right? The president does not know the laws and are therefore exempt from responsibility? The president does not know about a deal he presents himself?

[Liz]

"By his own account, President Obama engaged in the complex cash transfer in order to end-run sanctions that prohibit the U.S. from having “a banking relationship with Iran.”

Looks like the short-sighted Boobambas veered off from The Bank Secrecy Act of 1970 (BSA otherwise known as the Currency and Foreign Transactions Reporting Act).

The BSA requires financial institutions in the United States to assist U.S. government agencies to detect and prevent money laundering.......and other criminal financial acts.

Specifically, the act requires financial institutions to keep records of cash purchases of negotiable instruments, and file reports of cash purchases of these negotiable instruments of more than $10,000 (daily aggregate amount---is considered structuring by the IRS), and to report suspicious activity that might signify money laundering, tax evasion, terrorism, or other criminal activities.

[ballplayer]

Trump should have conditioned his endorsement of Paul.Ryan on him instituting impeachment against Obama

[mcshot]

Excellent explanation.

[Ann Archy]

Obama is LAW-LESS because Republican “leaders” are BALL-LESS!!!

[HarleyLady27]

This isn't the only time that Barky has gone ‘around’ the law of our Constitution....he has repeatedly done it for 8 years, and I'm not telling you anything you don't know...

Bohner did it, and now RYAN is doing it, McConnell isn't much better, they are all neo cons; globalists; CFRs; TTPs; H1Bvisas; anything to put money in their pockets and keep it out of ours...

Clintons are a ‘modern day’ mafia family, they extort money from foreign countries, where the mafia of old extorted money from the local businesses...they have the best case of RICO that I have ever seen, and why hasn't anyone done anything about it, because Comey worked in their Foundation, Lynch was a Clinton Lawyer, what do you think that conversation on the plane was all about? Everyone of our Senators and Representatives, head of Military, Home Land Security are being blackmailed...

You really didn't think while Bill was in the Oval Office he was doing actual work, he was busy with his ‘interns’ and other women, and he had a steady line of them in there...meanwhile, Ms. Clinton was gathering papers on everybody she could think of for blackmail purposes..those files were opened up to here, if you don't get ‘blackmailed’ you get ‘Vince Fostered’ so come on, lets take off the rose colored glasses and see what this election is all about...

We have a Man who is honest, who was raised the American Way, work for what you get, stay true to your values, and these ‘pond suckers’ that we call our government officials have done things that they don't want you, the voters to know about, how many of these ‘fine upstanding men, and women’ are out in the ‘oldest profession’ in the world, it was brought out in the primaries of one ‘so Christian, so righteous, so conservative’ that he enjoyed the ‘taste of Washington D.C.’ life, and the rest of them are doing it also...Denny Hasert, and you don't think that they all knew about it? You would have to be ‘deaf, dumb and blind’ to not know...they all frequent the same places, the same bars, the same restaurants....they rub elbows with the same people...

And we expect a ‘lone’ person to stand up and rat out these people, there might be maybe 10 at the most that don't participate in these ‘activities’ and I'm not talking about the St. of Utah Mike Lee or Orrin Hatch...

I might not like what is going on with Trump trying to unite the party, but he's doing it, for the sake of America...and us!!! So lets hope when President Trump gets into office, we can clean out the prostitution of Washington D.C. and tell the foreign countries to go run their own countries and leave ours alone!!!