Donald Trump wasted no time in making an issue of America’s $400 million payoff to Iran — which he’s blaming directly on Hillary Clinton.
“Our incompetent Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, was the one who started talks to give 400 million dollars, in cash, to Iran. Scandal!” Trump tweeted Wednesday morning.
Our incompetent Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, was the one who started talks to give 400 million dollars, in cash, to Iran. Scandal!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 3 августа 2016 г.
The charge comes on the heels of a Wall Street Journal report saying the US sent the money just as Tehran released four American detainees in January.
The cash airlift, which was conducted in total secrecy, delivered wooden pallets of euros and Swiss francs to Tehran.
Administration officials said it was the first payment of a $1.7 billion settlement the with the Iranian regime after a failed 1979 arms deal signed before the fall of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi.
Critics quickly called the cash a ransom payment, which would violate US law.
As secretary of state, Clinton has claimed credit for bringing Iran to the bargaining table through sanctions.
The State Department has denied a connection between the money transfer and the release of the American hostages.
“As we’ve made clear, the negotiations over the settlement of an outstanding claim . . . were completely separate from the discussions about returning our American citizens home,” said State Department spokesman John Kirby to the Journal.