New Claims Freed Hostage Could Prove Obama And Hillary Lied About $400 Million Ransom
Aug. 5 2016, Published 4:59 p.m. ET
Don't bite the hand that freed you? A former Iranian hostage is bashing the Obama administration over his belief that they paid a $400 million ransom for his release back in January.
Saeed Abedini was one of the four American hostages released by the Iranian government in January. At the same time of his release, the U.S. government sent over a cargo plane full of $400 million in foreign cash.
President Obama claimed the money was sent to settle a debt owed to Iran from a failed arms deal signed in 1979. But
The Wall Street Journal reported that the money was actually a cash-for-hostage solution, and that Obama wanted to keep it a secret.
Abedini, who is an American pastor, appeared on the FOX Business Network on Thursday and claimed to host Trish Regan that the timing of their release was suspicious.
"I just remember the night that we'd been in an airport, just take hours and hours there. And I asked one of the police that was with us, that, why are you not letting us to go to the plane?" Abedini said. He went on to say he was told his captors were "waiting for another plane, and if that plane takes off, then we're going to let you go."
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Regan asked the pastor if the captors were "waiting for the money to come in" prior to freeing him.
"They didn't talk about money," he said.
Abedini had been holed up in an Iranian prison for eight years for "building orphanages," FOX reported.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump has claimed he saw footage of the plane arrive in Iran and slammed Hillary Clinton for having a major role in the deal tweeting, "Our incompetent Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, was the one who started talks to give 400 million dollars, in cash, to Iran. Scandal!"
The Republican nominee also bashed Obama, for a recent video that shows the President dodging questions regarding the payout. In the video Obama is asked directly about the $400 million payment and said he announced the payment in January and that it wasn't some "nefarious" deal.
"President Obama refuses to answer question about Iran terror funding. I won't dodge questions as your President," Trump tweeted.