from Bill Still
lass=”” >First of all, a note on the story I put up late last night about the hitman arrested in Trump Tower. There is some disputed information in that story and it was just too late for me to get to the bottom of it last night, so in the interest of accuracy, I took the story down.
Somehow or another the story persisted on the Internet and now is pushing towards a quarter million views. I’ll get the correction story up later today.
Now, President Obama personally approved last January the payment of $400 million in cash to free four American hostages imprisoned in Iran. The day a private jet landed in Tehran with the cash, the hostages were freed.
President Obama announced the freeing of the Americans on Jan. 17, but somehow neglected to disclose the part about the $400 million all-cash payment – perhaps the largest cash payout in history.
From the first second I heard about this hostages-for-money with Iran I knew what it was. Why? Am I that well informed on international deal making?
No – because of one huge factor; either the Iranians demanded cash, or possibly the Obama administration insisted in paying in cash to avoid tipping the public and the media off to what looks more like a drug deal payoff then payment between nations in accordance with longstanding treaty agreements.
Because of US-led sanctions, Iran does have trouble obtaining western currency, but by far the most pressing use for currency is to provide that cash to its terror affiliates worldwide.
The cash was gathered from Swiss and Dutch central banks – probably all in Euros because any transaction with Iran done in U.S. dollars is illegal under U.S. law and we know our president wouldn’t have any part in that.
Former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations under President Reagan, John Bolton appeared on Fox Business with Stuart Varney and denounced the secret payment as absolutely a ransom.
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I’m still reporting from Washington. Good day.