The settlement stemmed from a claim filed by Iran with an global tribunal in 1981 that related to a $400 million payment made by the government of the US -backed Shah of Iran to purchase military equipment in 1970s.
Advertisement
After criticism from Democrats and media outlets who branded the claim “false”, Trump backed away from the claims, saying he had seen a video of the prisoners being released, but not the money being handed to Iran.
Yet President Obama adamantly insists this was not a ransom payment.
However, The Beacon also notes that after speaking with Iran experts, it’s “impossible to verify if the images show the same pallets of cash transferred by the Obama administration”.
He pointed to Trump’s recent criticism of Kaine, who Trump said in a late-July news conference “did a bad job in New Jersey” – despite Kaine being a governor and senator from Virginia, not New Jersey.
US President Barack Obama has said the Dollars 400 million given to Iran was not a ransom for the release of four American prisoners, saying the whole amount was given in cash as they do not have a banking relationship with the country. How does a president do that?
“Clinton’s home email server that she lied to the American people about was a profound national security risk”, Trump said.
“Now here’s the wonderful thing”.
“They have a flawless tape, done by obviously a government camera and the tape is of the people taking the money off the plane, right?”
“We do not pay ransom for hostages”, Mr. Obama said in the press conference, explaining that the money was sent in cash instead of a check or wiring the funds because the U.S.
“It’s a military tape”. And they have a ideal tape.
On Twitter Friday morning, Trump wrote that he didn’t actually see a “top secret” video showing money being unloaded from a plane in Iran. Trump told a crowd in Portland, Maine, on Thursday.
Trump acknowledged in a tweet Friday morning the video he referenced wasn’t of the money transfer.
“He might be thinking about Iran Contra from, like, 35 years ago or something like this”, Kaine said in an interview with CBS News, noting Trump had recently misspoken and identified Kaine as the former governor of New Jersey, not Virginia. Kaine is now a senator from Virginia and had previously been the state’s governor.
Kaine continued, “I have no idea what he’s talking about”.
“The video doesn’t exist…”
Advertisement
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.
