Reporting from Washington — The Obama
administration is acknowledging its transfer of $1.7 billion to Iran
earlier this year was made entirely in cash, using non-U.S. currency, as
Republican critics of the transaction continued to denounce the
payments.
Treasury Department spokeswoman Dawn Selak said in a
statement late Tuesday that the cash payments were necessary because of
the “effectiveness of U.S. and international sanctions,” which isolated
Iran from the international finance system.
The $1.7 billion was
the settlement of a decades-old arbitration claim between the U.S. and
Iran. An initial $400 million of euros, Swiss francs and other foreign
currency was delivered on pallets Jan. 17, the same day Tehran agreed to
release four American prisoners.
The Obama administration had
claimed the events were separate, but recently acknowledged the cash was
used as leverage until the Americans were allowed to leave Iran. The
remaining $1.3 billion represented estimated interest on the Iranian
cash the U.S. had held since the 1970s. The administration had
previously declined to say if the interest was delivered to Iran in
physical cash, as with the principal, or via a more regular banking
mechanism.
Earlier Tuesday, officials from the State, Justice and Treasury
departments held a closed-door briefing for congressional staff on the
payments, according to a Capitol Hill aide familiar with the session.
The officials said the $1.3 billion was paid in cash on Jan. 22 and Feb.
5. The aide was not authorized to speak publicly and requested
anonymity.
The money came from a little-known fund administered by
the Treasury Department for settling litigation claims. The so-called
Judgment Fund is taxpayer money Congress has permanently approved in the
event it’s needed, allowing the president to bypass direct
congressional approval to make a settlement. The U.S. previously paid
out $278 million in Iran-related claims by using the fund in 1991.
Republicans
have decried the payments as ransom, a charge the Obama administration
has rejected. On Tuesday, a group of Republican senators announced their
support for legislation that would bar payments from the Judgment Fund
to Iran until Tehran pays the nearly $55.6 billion that U.S. courts have
judged that it owes to American victims of Iranian terrorism.
“President
Obama’s disastrous nuclear deal with Iran was sweetened with an illicit
ransom payment and billions of dollars for the world’s foremost state
sponsor of terrorism,” said Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), the bill’s
primary sponsor.
Rep. Ed Royce (R-Fullerton), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs
Committee, also introduced a bill that prohibits cash payments to Iran
and demands transparency on future settlements. “Sending the
world’s leading state sponsor of terror pallets of untraceable cash
isn’t just terrible policy,” Royce said. “It’s incredibly reckless, and
it only puts bigger targets on the backs of Americans. ... This cash
bonanza has emboldened Iran’s radical regime, and undermined America’s
national security.”
More Americans are now employed than ever recorded before in our history.
We have created more than 400,000 manufacturing jobs since my election.
Manufacturing jobs growing at the fastest rate in more than THREE DECADES.
Economic growth last quarter hit 4.2 percent.
New unemployment claims recently hit a 49-year low.
Median household income has hit highest level ever recorded.
African-American unemployment has recently achieved the lowest rate ever recorded.
Hispanic-American unemployment is at the lowest rate ever recorded.
Asian-American unemployment recently achieved the lowest rate ever recorded.
Women’s unemployment recently reached the lowest rate in 65 years.
Youth unemployment has recently hit the lowest rate in nearly half a century.
Lowest unemployment rate ever recorded for Americans without a high school diploma.
Under my Administration, veterans’ unemployment recently reached its lowest rate in nearly 20 years.
Almost 3.9 million Americans have been lifted off food stamps since the election.
The Pledge to America’s Workers has resulted in employers committing
to train more than 4 million Americans. We are committed to VOCATIONAL
education.
95 percent of U.S. manufacturers are optimistic about the future—the highest ever.
Retail sales surged last month, up another 6 percent over last year.
Signed the biggest package of tax cuts and reforms in history. After
tax cuts, over $300 billion poured back in to the U.S. in the first
quarter alone.
As a result of our tax bill, small businesses will have the lowest top marginal tax rate in more than 80 years.
Helped win U.S. bid for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
Helped win U.S.-Mexico-Canada’s united bid for 2026 World Cup.
Opened ANWR and approved Keystone XL and Dakota Access Pipelines.
Record number of regulations eliminated.
Enacted regulatory relief for community banks and credit unions.
Obamacare individual mandate penalty GONE.
My Administration is providing more affordable healthcare options
for Americans through association health plans and short-term duration
plans.
Last month, the FDA approved more affordable generic drugs than ever
before in history. And thanks to our efforts, many drug companies are
freezing or reversing planned price increases.
We reformed the Medicare program to stop hospitals from overcharging
low-income seniors on their drugs—saving seniors hundreds of millions
of dollars this year alone.
Signed Right-To-Try legislation.
Secured $6 billion in NEW funding to fight the opioid epidemic.
We have reduced high-dose opioid prescriptions by 16 percent during my first year in office.
Signed VA Choice Act and VA Accountability Act, expanded VA
telehealth services, walk-in-clinics, and same-day urgent primary and
mental health care.
Increased our coal exports by 60 percent; U.S. oil production recently reached all-time high.
United States is a net natural gas exporter for the first time since 1957.
Withdrew the United States from the job-killing Paris Climate Accord.
Cancelled the illegal, anti-coal, so-called Clean Power Plan.
Secured record $700 billion in military funding; $716 billion next year.
NATO allies are spending $69 billion more on defense since 2016.
Process has begun to make the Space Force the 6th branch of the Armed Forces.
Confirmed more circuit court judges than any other new administration.
Confirmed Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch and nominated Judge Brett Kavanaugh.
Withdrew from the horrible, one-sided Iran Deal.
Moved U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem.
Protecting Americans from terrorists with the Travel Ban, upheld by Supreme Court.
Issued Executive Order to keep open Guantanamo Bay.
Concluded a historic U.S.-Mexico Trade Deal to replace NAFTA. And negotiations with Canada are underway as we speak.
Reached a breakthrough agreement with the E.U. to increase U.S. exports.
Imposed tariffs on foreign steel and aluminum to protect our national security.
Imposed tariffs on China in response to China’s forced technology
transfer, intellectual property theft, and their chronically abusive
trade practices.
Net exports are on track to increase by $59 billion this year.
Improved vetting and screening for refugees, and switched focus to overseas resettlement.
We have begun BUILDING THE WALL. Republicans want STRONG BORDERS and
NO CRIME. Democrats want OPEN BORDERS which equals MASSIVE CRIME.
Faith leaders pray over President Donald Trump during an
"Evangelicals for Trump Coalition Launch" at King Jesus International
Ministry Friday in Miami. (Associated Press)
President Trump blasted three of the four freshmen congressional Democrats known as "The Squad" in front of an audience of his evangelical supporters in Miami on Friday, accusing them of holding anti-Semitic views.
“These people hate Israel. They hate Jewish people,” Trump said at the launch of his "Evangelicals for Trump" group inside a megachurch.
“I won’t name them. I won’t bring up the name of Omar, Tlaib, AOC. I
won’t bring that name up. Won’t bring it up. I will not bring it up." The president was referring to U.S. Reps. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn.; Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich.; and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. The Squad member he did not mention was U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass.
The
three lawmakers have drawn the ire of conservatives for their criticism
of Israel since taking office last January. Omar and Tlaib were among
17 members of Congress who voted against a resolution to condemn the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement in July.
Omar
was accused of anti-Semitism last year for her criticism of Israel and
tweeting that a prominent lobbying group was paying members of Congress to support the country. The comment drew rebuke from Democrats as well as Republicans.
Trump later urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to block Omar and Tlaib from visiting Israel, resulting in an outcry from Democratic lawmakers. Israel later did block the lawmakers just before a planned visit.
Tlaib had requested to visit her grandmother in the
Israeli-occupied West Bank but abruptly canceled her plans after she was
given permission on humanitarian grounds.
In March 2019, the House overwhelmingly passed a measure in March 2019 condemning anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and other forms of hatred.
Trump
has gone after the Squad members in the past. In July, he said they
should go back “crime-infested places from which they came” in an inflammatory tweet that was described by many as racist.
Trump
spoke to more than 5,000 Christians, including a large group of
Latinos, at El Rey Jesús church, just days after he was the subject of a
scathing editorial in Christianity Today magazine that called for his
removal from office. Thousands of the faithful lifted their hands and
prayed over Trump as he began speaking and portrayed himself as a
defender of faith.
The
president made no mention of the editorial, which ran in a magazine
founded by the late Rev. Billy Graham. Campaign officials said the Miami
event was in the works well before the editorial.
Mark Galli, the Christianity Today editor who wrote the editorial, retired Friday.
“We're
defending religion itself. A society without religion cannot prosper. A
nation without faith cannot endure," said Trump, who also tried to
paint his Democratic rivals for the 2020 election as threats to
religious liberty. “We can't let one of our radical left friends come in
here because everything we've done will be gone in short order.”
The
kickoff of “Evangelicals for Trump” will be followed in the weeks ahead
by the launches of “Catholics for Trump” and “Jewish Voices for Trump." The Associated Press contributed to this report.
White House senior adviser Jared Kushner and Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel will reportedly headline a donor "thank you" event to celebrate the Trump 2020 Campaign and the RNC's large fundraising haul Saturday in Palm Beach, Fla.
The
event is scheduled to be held at conservative billionaire Bill Koch’s
house and is slated to have a host of Trump donors in attendance,
Politico reported. TRUMP CAMPAIGN BLOWS PAST 2020 DEMS WITH LATEST FUNDRAISING HAUL, SITTING ON OVER $100M
The Trump 2020 Campaign and the RNC announced last week that they jointly raised $463 million last year, far beyond Democrats.
The Trump campaign reported brought in $46 million in the fourth quarter of 2019 with a total of $143 million in 2019.
Unlike his brothers David and Charles who sat out the 2016 election, Bill has thrown his support behind the president.
David Koch, who was Bill Koch's twin brother, died Aug. 23 at age 79.
Trump
isn’t scheduled to be at the event, but he will host a fundraiser later
in the month at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, according to Politico.
Trump
held an evangelical rally near Miami on Friday where he launched his
“Evangelicals for Trump” coalition, claiming Democrats are pursuing an
“anti-religious” agenda.
Several Democrats vying for the White House in 2020 condemned Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani before taking aim at President Trump for ordering the deadly airstrike that will escalate tensions in the region and was done so without Congress’ approval.
Former
Vice President Joe Biden claimed that by ordering the airstrike Trump
“just tossed a stick of dynamite into a tinderbox.”
In a lengthy
statement, Biden said Trump “owes the American people an explanation of
the strategy and plan to keep our troops and embassy personnel, our
people and our interests, both here at home and abroad, and our partners
throughout the region and beyond.
“No American will mourn Qassem
Soleimani’s passing. He deserved to be brought to justice for his crimes
against American troops and thousands of innocents throughout the
region. He supported terror and sowed chaos,” the statement read.
“None
of that negates the fact that this is a hugely escalatory move in an
already dangerous region. The Administration’s statement says that its
goal is to deter future attack by Iran, but this action almost certainly
will have the opposite effect.”
Biden also questioned whether the
Trump administration considered the “second- and third-order
consequences” of Soleimani’s death that now puts the U.S. “on the brink
of a major conflict across the Middle East.”
“I fear this
administration has not demonstrated at any turn the discipline or
long-term vision necessary --- and the stakes could not be higher,” he
said.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Sen. Bernie Sanders, an
independent from Vermont, both echoed Biden’s sentiments – and
mentioned the financial consequences of a renewed conflict in the Middle
East.
The Wall Street Journal reported
that the price of oil surged late Thursday after the Pentagon announced
Trump had ordered the airstrike that killed the leader of Iran’s
Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps’ foreign wing.
“When I voted
against the war in Iraq in 2002, I feared it would lead to greater
destabilization of the region. That fear unfortunately turned out to be
true,” Sanders said. “The U.S. has lost approximately 4,500 brave
troops, tens of thousands have been wounded, and we’ve spent trillions.”
“Trump's
dangerous escalation brings us closer to another disastrous war in the
Middle East that could cost countless lives and trillions more dollars,”
he continues in a second tweet. “Trump promised to end endless wars,
but this action puts us on the path to another one.
Two combat
veterans running for president --- Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii, and
South Bend, Ind., Mayor Peter Buttigieg – did not immediately issue
statements in response to Soleimani’s death as of early Friday morning.
Gabbard voluntarily deployed to serve with a field medical unit in Iraq.
Buttigieg deployed to Afghanistan for seven months in 2014.
Sen.
Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., also weighed in on Twitter, calling on the
Trump administration to consult with Congress in regards to its strategy
moving forward.
“Qassem Soleimani was responsible for directing
Iran’s destabilizing action in Iraq, Syria, and throughout the Middle
East, including attacks against U.S. forces. But the timing, manner, and
potential consequences of the Administration’s actions raise serious
questions and concerns about an escalating conflict,” her statement
said.
“Our immediate focus needs to be on ensuring all necessary
security measures are taken to protect U.S. military and diplomatic
personnel in Iraq and throughout the region. The Administration needs to
fully consult with Congress on its decision-making, response plans, and
strategy for preventing a wider conflict.”
Speaking
to MSNBC, Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., said, “We have a president who had a
failure in his Iranian policy, who has no larger strategic plan and who
has made that region less stable and less safe.”
Long-shot
Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson took aim at
federal laws dating back to 1961 which she says fail to cap spending by
the U.S. Department of Defense, and thus allow Trump’s “recklessness” in
the Middle East. In a series of tweets, the author, activist and faith
leader slammed Congress for passing the National Defense Authorization
Act (NDAA).
Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., called on members of Congress late Thursday to join her in putting a stop to President Trump from starting a war as a "distraction" in Iran following the U.S. airstrike that killed the notorious Gen. Qassim Soleimani.
“So
what if Trump wants war, knows this leads to war and needs the
distraction?” the Democrat freshman "Squad" member said. “Real question
is, will those with congressional authority step in and stop him? I know
I will.”
The Pentagon confirmed earlier Thursday evening that Trump had ordered the attack
that killed Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard
Corps' elite Quds Force, among other military officials at Baghdad
International Airport in Iraq. Iran’s top “shadow commander” was
responsible for the deaths of hundreds of American and coalition service
members and the wounding of thousands more, the State Department said.
Omar responded to a tweet from Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., who questioned whether Trump acted within his right as
Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces to authorize the attack. The
U.S. Constitution divides war powers between the Executive and
Legislative branches. Congress can declare war and raise support for the
armed forces.
“Soleimani was an enemy of the United States.
That’s not a question,” Murphy affirmed. “The question is this - as
reports suggest, did America just assassinate, without any congressional
authorization, the second most powerful person in Iran, knowingly
setting off a potential massive regional war?”
Murphy, a member of
the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, said that while the
justification for the attack is to “deter future Iranian attacks,” the
U.S. usually doesn’t assassinate foreign officials because it could
potentially cause more Americans to be killed.
“That should be our real, pressing and grave worry tonight,” he said.
He
added that while no one knows what will happen next, “the neocons
thumping their chest tonight should recall that the worst mistakes
global powers make are when they strike militarily in complicated places
with few friends, with no consideration of the consequences.”
Many
Democrats admitted that no Americans would mourn Soleimani's death but
also raised concern that the escalation will put the U.S. on a crash
course for a new conflict in the Mideast. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi
released a statement saying that Trump ordered the airstrike “without
the consultation of Congress.”
The State Department said the airstrike “was aimed at deterring future Iranian attack plans."
"The
United States will continue to take all necessary action to protect our
people and our interests wherever they are around the world," the
agency said.
Soleimani is suspected of directing a mob of hundreds of Iranian-backed militants to storm the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad this week,
triggering a two-day faceoff with American forces at the most heavily
fortified U.S. diplomatic mission in the world. On Tuesday, Trump vowed
retaliation against the militia groups. He tweeted an American flag
Thursday evening after Soleimani’s death was confirmed.
In April
2019, the State Department announced that Iranian and Iranian-backed
forces led by Soleimani were responsible for killing 608 U.S. troops
during the Iraq War.
Soleimani took over the external operations
wing of the IRGC in 1998 and was known as one of the most powerful
military leaders in the Middle East. The State Department believes he
was the masterminded behind the major military operations, bombings and
assassinations that accounted for at least 17 percent of all U.S.
personnel deaths in Iraq between 2003 and 2011.
Iran's Supreme
Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday warned that a "harsh retaliation
is waiting" for the U.S. after the airstrike that killed Soleimani. Fox News’ Vandana Rambaran and Brie Stimson contributed to this report.
Fox News' Sean Hannity called his own TV program Thursday to discuss the significance of the U.S. airstrike that killed Iranian Gen. Qassim Soleimani,
the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps' elite Quds Force,
and other military officials at Baghdad International Airport.
"This
was [a response to] Iranian aggression against us. This was Iranian
strategy, Iranian money, Iranian proxies that put American lives in
jeopardy and the president very quickly acted," Hannity told guest host
Jason Chaffetz. "I've been able to confirm tonight ... our military, our
State Department, our president, everybody is on high alert. Every
option is, I was told, 'on the table' and that American interests in
Iraq and the region will be protected." U.S. EMBASSY IN BAGHDAD FIRE DAMAGE SEEN IN NEW PHOTOS FOLLOWING MILITANTS' ATTACK
Soleimani
is the military mastermind whom Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had
deemed equally as dangerous as ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, who killed himself in October during a U.S. raid on a compound in northwest Syria.
"Taking
out this top general is ... right up there, in my view, with taking out
Baghdadi in terms of the importance of stopping Iranian aggression
inside of Iraq," said Hannity, who went on to praise the president and
all those involved in the airstrike.
"I will say the big headline
is this is a huge victory for American intelligence, a huge victory for
our military. A huge victory for the State Department and a huge victory
and total leadership by the president," Hannity said. "It is the
opposite of what happened in Benghazi."
The
nighttime attack occurred two days after Iran-backed militia members
attacked the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad in response to recent U.S.
airstrikes.
The two-day siege came to an end Wednesday afternoon
after dozens of the militiamen and their supporters withdrew from the
compound.
Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday warned that a "harsh retaliation is waiting" for the U.S. after an airstrike on an airport in Baghdad killed Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the head of Iran's elite Quds Force.
The Iranian state TV carried a statement by Khamenei who also called Soleimani "the international face of resistance." Khamenei declared three days of public mourning for the general's death. TRUMP ORDERS ATTACK THAT KILLS IRANIAN GEN. QASSIM SOLEIMANI, OTHER MILITARY OFFICIALS IN BAGHDAD, PENTAGON SAYS
The Iranian foreign minister warned that the U.S. would bear all the consequences of the “foolish” military attack, claiming Soleimani's assassination
would only escalate tensions in the region given that he was “THE most
effective force” fighting terrorism carried out by the Islamic State.
Javad
Zarif, the foreign minister of Islamic Republic of Iran, said on
Twitter that “The US' act of international terrorism, targeting &
assassinating General Soleimani—THE most effective force fighting Daesh
(ISIS), Al Nusrah, Al Qaeda et al—is extremely dangerous & a foolish
escalation.”
“The US bears responsibility for all consequences of its rogue adventurism,” he said.
Zarif
references three affiliated Sunni Muslim extremist groups who’ve held
territory in Iraq and Syria. The modern Islamic State of Iraq and the
Levant (ISIL) has ties that date back to the rise of al Qaeda in 2004
after the U.S. invaded Iraq the year before.
The Pentagon confirmed that President Trump ordered the early Friday-morning attack that
killed Soleimani, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps'
elite Quds Force, among other military officials at Baghdad
International Airport. The airstrike hit in Iraq.
Many Democrats
admitted that no Americans would mourn Soleimani's death but also
raised concern that the escalation will put the U.S. on a crash course
for a new conflict in the Mideast.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi released a statement saying that Trump
ordered the airstrike “without the consultation of Congress.”
“American
leaders’ highest priority is to protect American lives and interests,”
her statement said. “But we cannot put the lives of American service
members, diplomats and others further at risk by engaging in provocative
and disproportionate actions. Tonight’s airstrike risks provoking
further dangerous escalation of violence.”
An adviser to Iran's President Hassan Rouhani also quickly warned Trump of retaliation from Tehran.
"Trump
through his gamble has dragged the U.S. into the most dangerous
situation in the region," Hessameddin Ashena wrote on the social media
app Telegram. "Whoever put his foot beyond the red line should be ready
to face its consequences."
Soleimani is the military mastermind whom Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
had deemed equally as dangerous as Islamic State leader Abu Bakr
al-Baghdadi. In October, Baghdadi killed himself during a U.S. raid on a
compound in northwest Syria, seven months after the so-called ISIS
"caliphate" crumbled as the terrorist group lost its final swath of
Syrian territory in March.
The overnight attack occurred amid tensions with the U.S. after an Iran-backed militia attacked the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad,
which was targeted Tuesday by angry mobs who were protesting recent
U.S. airstrikes. The two-day siege outside of the U.S. Embassy in
Baghdad came to an end Wednesday afternoon after dozens of pro-Iran
militiamen and their supporters withdrew from the compound.
Soleimani
was the long-running leader of the elite intelligence wing called Quds
Force – which itself has been a designated terror group since 2007, and
is estimated to be 20,000 strong. Considered one of the most powerful
men in Iran, he routinely was referred to as its "shadow commander" or
"spymaster."
In
April 2019, the State Department announced Iran was responsible for
killing 608 U.S. troops during the Iraq War. Soleimani was the head of
the Iranian and Iranian-backed forces carrying out those operations
killing American troops. According to the State Department, 17 percent
of all deaths of U.S. personnel in Iraq from 2003 to 2011 were
orchestrated by Soleimani.
As recently as 2015, a travel ban and United Nations Security Council resolutions had barred Soleimani from leaving Iran.
Friday's
Baghdad strike also killed Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, the deputy commander
of Iran-backed militias known as the Popular Mobilization Forces, a
source told Fox News. In all, at least seven people were killed and at
least three rockets were fired, officials told The Associated Press. An
official with the Popular Mobilization Forces said its airport protocol
officer, Mohammed Reda, also died. Fox News’ Frank Miles, Lucas Tomlinson, John Roberts, Mike Arroyo and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
CNN’s Scott Jennings once again took liberals to the cleaners on the Abrego Garcia case, the ‘Maryland man...
