State Dept. Ducks ‘Morning Joe’ Questions About ‘Side Deals’ Between IAEA, Iran
RUSH TRANSCRIPT:
SCARBOROUGH: “Admiral, let's begin with you. Yesterday, of course, you know the news. Two members of Congress said that in meetings with the IAEA in Vienna, they learned two of secret side deals between the IAEA and Iran that wouldn't be reviewable about it American people. Is that true?”
KIRBY: “I can't speak to that. What I can tell you is all relevant documents to this deal, certainly all those in our possessions have been delivered Congress. They were delivered over the weekend. They'll have access to everything we have access. To the second thing I say is that the secretary Kerry as well as others will be making the trip to Capitol Hill today and tomorrow to brief members of Congress. They're doing an all house briefing to day and all Senate briefing to day to explain and defend this deal. He's very much looking forward to that. So they'll have ample opportunity.”
SCARBOROUGH: “But admiral, does the state Department know of secret side deals between Iran and the IAEA? Do you know of secret side deal S between IAEA? Does secretary Kerry know of secret side deals between Iran and the IAEA?
KIRBY: “The IAEA will be working with Iran to make sure they have the information and access they need to be able to verify Iran's commitments to this deal.
SCARBOROUGH: “That's not the question I asked. That's not the question I admiral. You are familiar with side deals with the IAEA that we don't know about?
KIRBY: “This isn't about side deals, Joe. This is about making sure the IAEA gets the access they need to verify Iran's commitments. I can't speak for the IAEA. I speak for the state Department.
SCARBOROUGH: “But certainly can speak to your knowledge and secretary Kerry's knowledge and the state Department's knowledge and the White House's knowledge. Do you all have knowledge of these side deals?
KIRBY: “We know that the IAEA is going to wshg with Iran to make sure they get the access they need. How they do that and what manner they do that, I'll let them speak to. That.
BRZEZINSKI: “It sounds like there are side deals.
SCARBOROUGH: “Well, I'm just trying to get a yes or a no.”
KIRBY: “I can't really answer it any better than I did. I mean the IAEA needs to get the access to verify Iran's compliance and they do. That how they work with Iran is for them to speak to. Every relevant document in this deal, and there's a lot of them, everything has been delivered to Congress and they can speak to secretary Kerry to get answers to all their questions.”
SCARBOROUGH: “You could answer it better than that. You could say yes or no.”
