Free Republic

U.S. Sent Cash to Iran as Americans Were Freed Obama administration insists there was no quid pro quo, but critics charge payment amounted to ransom By Jay Solomon and Carol E. Lee Aug. 2, 2016 7:51 p.m. ET 52 COMMENTS WASHINGTON—The Obama administration secretly organized an airlift of $400 million worth of cash to Iran that coincided with the January release of four Americans detained in Tehran, according to U.S. and European officials and congressional staff briefed on the operation afterward. Wooden pallets stacked with euros, Swiss francs and other currencies were flown into Iran on an unmarked cargo plane,...

Obama administration spokesman Josh Earnest snaps at CBS reporter Margaret Brennan, asking: "Why is that relevant?" when questioned about the $400 million cash payment (in Euros and Swiss Francs) to Iran. Earnest faced more than 20 minutes of questions about the suspicious nature of this payment Wednesday after details were reported by the Wall Street Journal. ... EARNEST: But why is that relevant? Why is that relevant?

Senior officials from the Department of Justice objected to sending a plane full of cash to Tehran, but were overruled by the State Department, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday night. The cash was airlifted to Iran at the same time four American prisoners were released, and also coincided with the formal implementation of the Iran nuclear deal. The payment, which the administration announced at the time, was the first part of a $1.7 billion settlement to resolve a dispute surrounding an arms deal signed just before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. But the administration did not disclose then that the...

A bit of (apparently) much-needed inspiration for Obama and the airhead minions in his administration - a supercut of "We don’t negotiate with terrorists" from various movies. Warning - some NSFW language.

Republicans in Congress are criticizing President Barack Obama’s administration for its approval of a $400 million delivery of cash to Iran on the same day the country released four American prisoners and formally implemented the nuclear deal. Though the administration says the timing of the $400 million money transfer was coincidental, and part of a resolution of a failed arms deal between the two countries that dates to the Iranian revolution, critics say that a link between the payment and the prisoner exchange is undeniable. “The claim that the timing is coincidental is beyond unbelievable,” said Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y.,...

Funding Iran directly funds terrorism because the Iranian regime is effectively a terror state. Back in the Senate, Obama fought against the classification of the Revolutionary Guard, a key Iranian political-military institution, as terrorists. He's remained consistent since then. 3. This is simply treason. Obama is aiding and abetting the murder of Americans. He's funding terrorism. He's funding Iran's wars in the region, which aside from Israel, include campaigns in Iraq and Syria that have dragged the United States in. The Obama administration secretly organized an airlift of $400 million worth of cash to Iran that coincided with the January...

The Obama administration took steps to withhold from lawmakers the details of a $400 million cash payout to Iran and continues to rebuke inquiries from Congress for information about how another $1.3 billion in taxpayer funds was awarded to the Islamic Republic, according to multiple conversations with congressional sources apprised of the matter. U.S. officials familiar with the recent transfer of $400 million in hard currency to Iran withheld details of the exchange from Congress during briefings in classified and unclassified settings, the Washington Free Beacon has learned.The disclosure threatens to complicate efforts by the administration to downplay new reports...

Shortened title. Full title: Here’s The Iranian Video Of “Hostages for Pallets of Money” CNN and Washington Post Claim Doesn’t Exist This is a great example of the current state, and competence, of American Journalism. Worse yet, this example shows the U.S. Secretary of State, John Kerry, didn’t even know what’s going on, and Vice-Presidential Candidate Tim Kaine also joins the crew of the clueless. CNN and The Washington Post are both making an absurd attack Donald Trump story out of the most simple and easy to prove claim.

The Pentagon is under fire for making a ransom payment to an Afghan earlier this year as part of a failed bid to win the release of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, according to U.S. officials. Sgt. Bergdahl was released in May after nearly five years in captivity as part of a controversial exchange for five terrorists held at the U.S. military detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The ransom payment was first disclosed by Rep. Duncan Hunter in a Nov. 5 letter to Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel. Mr. Hunter stated in the letter that Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) made...