GOP lawmakers see 'ransom' to Iran amid White House denials
WASHINGTON _ Top Republican lawmakers charged the Obama administration with paying a ransom to Iranian leaders in return for the release of four American prisoners, allegations the White House forcefully denied.
U.S. officials reportedly loaded an unmarked cargo plane with $400 million in cash stacked on pallets and delivered it to Iranian officials around the same time the prisoners were released in January. The Wall Street Journal first reported the news on what a front-page headline called a "planeload" of cash.
White House officials said Wednesday the payment was not a ransom, but rather repayment of money owed to Iran for a canceled arms deal four decades ago. The payment was also raised in a January 2016 news conference.
Senate Armed Services Chairman John McCain of Arizona called the $400 million payment "disturbing," with a few of his GOP colleagues using even more blunt language.
_Bloomberg
