$400 Million to Iran: The Facts on an Overblown Story

Daniel R. DePetris

Security, Politics, United States

Obama has the facts on his side, but there's a real perception problem.

Thanks to the Wall Street Journal, politicos, White House reporters, and the State Department press corps are talking about something other than the 2016 presidential election. But to the Obama administration's great regret, the story has nothing to do with a diplomatic triumph or a Supreme Court victory; instead, it's about $400 million in cash being loaded into an unmarked plane and sent to Iran at roughly the same time five American hostages were released by the Iranian Government. It's further granular detail on a six-month old story that administration officials are now trying to bat away as insignificant.

Good luck to them.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest spent most of his daily briefing on Wednesday, August 3, answering probing questions from the press about why President Obama or his foreign policy officials didn't let the media know when the first $400 million of a $1.3 billion settlement was disbursed; why the money was sent to Iranian officials on the same day as five American citizens were released from Iranian custody; why the money was sent in a form that would difficult to trace; and why this arrangement shouldn't be called a ransom payment when there are so many coincidences involved. Responding to Margaret Brennan of CBS News as to why the administration wasn't being fully transparent about the exact arrangement, Earnest said the details were irrelevant. "We acknowledged...back on January 17th, that there would be all kinds of innuendo hurled by people who oppose engagement with Iran," Earnest said. "I recognize that the details that you're seeking to elicit might make for a colorful news story, but they don’t change the facts."

Here are the facts: