White House denies it ransomed hostages . .
. "We would not, we have not,
we will not, pay a ransom to secure the release of U.S. citizens. That's a fact.
That is our policy and it is one that we have assiduously followed," he said.
"The only people who are making that suggestion are right-wingers in Iran who
don't like the deal and Republicans in the United States that don't like the
deal." But extraordinary method of making the payment — via dollars converted
into euros, Swiss francs and other currencies, loaded on pallets and then flown
on an unmarked cargo plane — was first disclosed in the Wall Street Journal
Wednesday, launching a new round of protests from Capitol Hill. USA Today
In other news, the White House also denied that
yesterday was Wednesday.
White House hid ransom details from Congress . .
. 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. Washington Free Beacon
Justice Department objected to timing of payment . .
. "People knew what it was
going to look like, and there was concern the Iranians probably did consider it
a ransom payment," a person familiar with the discussions told the Wall Street
Journal. The Journal also reported that Justice Department officials expressed
concerns about both the number of Iranian prisoners freed by the U.S. and the
number of sanctions violations cases that would be dropped as part of the two
agreements. The report said most of their objections were overruled by the State
Department. Fox News
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