It looks like the State Department is having a hard time explaining away the Obama administration’s payment of $400 million to Iran in exchange for the release of 4 captured Americans.
Of course, they deny that it was paid in order to secure the release of the hostages: they insist that the transfer of the money was merely the end result of a 40 year old deal meant to be made between the US and the Shah of Iran that got held up when he was overthrown and the Ayatollah took over.
It was precisely this point that State Department spokesperson John Kirby tried to sell on Fox News, but to little avail. It didn’t help that he referred to the payment not as a “ransom” but as “leverage” in order to get the Iranians to release the prisoners, basically undermining his and the entire administration’s narrative surrounding the incident.
Watch Kirby’s Fox News interview on the next page:
Leverage = ransom
Meanings of words all began with Bill Clinton as president. When he tried to tell us the meaning of is and sex. The chief of Lie, cheat and steal anyone know who that character is?
Ransom (noun) The redemption of a prisoner, slave or kidnapped person…It was Ransom!
Semantics at work.
No one believes the money was “leverage”, clearly it was ransom. Yes, I am aware of how we obtained the $$$, still the fact that it was being handed over to Iran as our “American hostages” were being loaded onto a plane clearly indicates that we paid for their release. It has set a very dangerous precedent.
We can READ, and have dictionary, get one!
WE ALL KNOW WHAT RANSOM IS
if americand go there they should go at there own risk and not expect us to pay to get them back
Typical democrat trying to spin what they believe what ransom is to cover their asses, even thuogh we know what it means. Problem is all the liberals will twirl with the spin and except it as what he says it means!
You must feel stupid having to try and explain this administration.