Beinart: ‘It’s Not Ransom If You Are Giving People Their Own Money’

‘It’s not ransom if you are giving people their own money, which is what we were doing here’

Beinart: 'It's Not Ransom If You Are Giving People Their Own Money' (NewsBusters)

Following the recent revelations from the Wall Street Journal, that the US payed Iran a large sum of money at the same time as they released American hostages, has led many to believe to US payed a ransom for their release. But that couldn’t possibly be the case according to CNN Commentator Peter Beinart who ridiculously declared, on Anderson Cooper 360 Thursday, “It's not ransom if you are giving people their own money, which is what we were doing here.”

Beinart’s comment came as he was trying to write off people’s concerns and defend the Obama administration. When host John Berman noted that information about the unmarked plane and the timing of the transfer was new information Beinart brushed it off saying, “Sure, they had details in this Wall Street Journal.” But, “This was money that we owed the Iranians,” he argued.

He fumbled to put his defense into words as he invoked international law as a reason we needed to repay the Iranians. “The truth is, if they had not delivered this probably we were going to have to give significantly more. We would lose that case at The Hague.” The writer for The Atlantic seemed perturbed by the assertion that the $400 million, in seized Iranian money, could possibly be a ransom, exclaiming, “It's not ransom if you are giving people their own money, which is what we were doing here.” Beinart then went on to defend the Iran deal as a whole and hammered its critics.

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