Posted on 08/04/2016 4:48:39 PM PDT by plain talk
President Barack Obama said Thursday that $400 million in cash airlifted to Iran in January didn’t represent a ransom payment to secure the freedom of four detained Americans released the same day, and wasn’t a secret.
"We were completely open with everybody about it, and it’s interesting to me that this suddenly became a story again," Obama said during a news conference at the Pentagon after meeting with his national security advisers. "We do not pay ransom for hostages."
The payment is the settlement of a decades-old dispute over returning Iranian funds from a weapons purchase placed by the government of Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi before he was ousted. And the delivery of the payment in foreign currency, officials say, was logical because U.S. sanctions prohibit deals with Iran using dollars and the U.S. has no banking relationship with the country.
"The only bit of news that is relevant on this is the fact that we paid cash," Obama said. Restrictions on U.S. banking relationships with Iran mean "we could not send them a check, and we could not wire them the money."
(Excerpt) Read more at newsmax.com ...
Of course it was a negotiation with terrorists.
I am thinking about that scene in “Lethal Weapon 2”, in which Murtaugh and Riggs get deliberately locked up in the shipping container (bound for South Africa). When they turn on a light, they discover the container filled with pallets of money, part of the diplomats’ involvement in money laundering and drugs.
That was our money he gave to the terrorists. How much must he hate this country.
No. It wasn’t ransom. It was a freewill gift given because Hussein appreciates and wishes to reward all the good that Iran has done in the world. The Iranians were so humbled by the goodwill gesture that they released some foreign criminals they had been holding for humanely bogus reasons and after the thing was done went out and captured some more foreigners in order to repeat the goodwill and bring peace and understanding to the Middle East.
No check, it’s piles of cash in various currencies.
Sure, Barry, it wasn’t ransom.
After all, you have been the paragon of honesty for the last eight years.
Who would ever doubt you?
He is a lying asshole. Did you see how that bastard was smirking all through his speech this evening? Lying is just a big laugh to him now. He knows he’ll get away with it. He’s laughing at the American people.
Actually, in this case it was money the Shah gave us for weapons that we never delivered. It was never really our money.
And when you think of the hours and column inches devoted to Reagan’s Contra scandal as opposed to no peep from the media on this which is many times worse, you know the enormity of the media bias which exists across all media companies.
Then why was it done so secretly? And don’t governments transfer money via international banks through wire transfers?
The man cannot, not lie.
Son of the FATHER OF LIES.
I don’t care if the money was for lotto tickets ... Obamao had NOT business giving Iran that or ANY money without approval.
This whole disgusting episode had Jarret written all over it.
BULLSH!T Oa$$hole, Since ever thing coming out of your mouth is a lie. You have proven yourself to be a congenital lier like the Hilda beast but then birds of a feather stick together like Commies/Socialist are known to do.
This was not a ransom payment, it was a coincidence.
Obama is the world's B***h.
They play Cut-Throat Poker and Obama has trouble with the rules of Go Fish.
will we see the media all over this which is national security and more important than what the Dem operative called Khan is.
Nah did not think so just like they have ignored an illegal server in a basement which sent classified information which then she lied and broke laws and rules. The lied about it again.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
