In a rare about-face, Donald Trump on Friday admitted that he was wrong when he gave a detailed description of a “top secret” video showing American officials carrying bags of cash off a plane in Iran.
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A new video emerged Friday that purportedly shows a USA payment of $400 million worth of cash delivered to Iran on the day Tehran released several American prisoners in January.
“We do not pay ransom for hostages”, Obama said, asserting that the money was the first installment of a .7 billion settlement of outstanding, potentially much more expensive claims by Iran, and noting that his administration disclosed the deal in January and the media reported on it.
At a Pentagon press conference, President Obama said the money was to settle a dispute over arms contracts dating back to before the 1979 Iranian revolution.
On the campaign trail this week, the Republican nominee has been dramatically describing a video he says shows the USA paying off Iran as part of a deal to release United States sailors from Iranian custody, but there is no evidence such a tape exists.
But his campaign has acknowledged to CBS News that the video, in fact, shows Americans landing in Geneva, Switzerland, and wasn’t provided by Iran.
When asked if he believed the USA government paid a “ransom” to free him and the other Americans, Abedini didn’t provide a direct answer.
“You know, it was interesting because a tape was made”, Trump said during a rally in Portland, Maine.
“I’ll never forget the scene this morning”, Trump on Wednesday told supporters at a rally in Daytona Beach, Florida.
“They no longer have the short-term breakout capacity that would allow them to develop nuclear weapons”, he said, adding that even Israel “has acknowledged that this has been a game changer”.
“When I asked them why you don’t let us go – the plane was there, pilot was there, everyone was ready that we leave the country”.
The Republican nominee claimed that the video of the money coming from the plane existed during two rallies this week. His political rise began during the 2012 campaign, when he insisted that Obama release his birth certificate, questioning the President’s American citizenship.
“This money was returned for the freedom of the US spy [Jason Rezaian] and it was not related to the [nuclear] negotiations”, said Iranian Brig.
Kerry said he was not aware of any video of the arrival of a bundle of cash, as claimed by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Wednesday. And remember this: Iran – I don’t think you’ve heard this anywhere but here – Iran provided all of that footage, the tape of taking that money off that airplane. Tim Kaine dismissed Trump as ‘confused’.
Pence also repeated Trump’s false claim that Hillary Clinton “actually initiated” the deal.
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“T$3 hey told us you’re going to be there for 20 minutes”.
