House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) called the Department of State’s admission of a $400 million cash payment to Iran that was contingent on the release of U.S. prisoners “ransom” on Thursday.
“It was ransom,” Royce said. “We now know it was ransom. And on top of that it put more American lives at risk. And we’ve emboldened Iran. We’ve encouraged them, frankly, to take more hostages and put more American lives at risk of being taken hostage.”
U.S. Rep. Leonard Lance (R-NJ) said that the Obama administration has finally admitted what many already knew – the $400 million payment was a ransom payment for the release of four innocent Americans.
“Make no mistake, this new dangerous precedent puts Americans overseas in harm’s way,” Lance said. “And while our government continues to appease the ayatollahs, families here at home continue to seek compensation for loved ones killed at the hands of Iranian terrorism. It’s long past time we put justice for American victims ahead of cash payments to the leading state-sponsors of terrorism.”
Lance plans to introduce the Victims Before Ransom Act, a bill that would bar the administration from moving forward on cash payments to Iran until millions of dollars in judgments awarded to victims of Iran’s global terrorist network are paid.
U.S. Rep. Jackie Walorski (R-IN) said that the administration has confirmed “after repeated denials” that the $400 million cash payment to Iran was made in exchange for the release of American prisoners.
“This is the very definition of ransom and sends a dangerous message to our enemies that kidnapping innocent Americans is profitable,” Walorski said. “The American people deserve answers after once again being misled about the Iran nuclear agreement.”