According to the Journal, Justice Department officials raised concerns that the timing of the transfer would make it appear to be a ransom payment for the detainees. Late Wednesday, a senior State Department official told Fox News, "This was fully an interagency decision, and that any notion that the State Department had the power to simply overrule is false." The State Department has previously denied the cash transfer was connected to the release of the hostages. A Justice Department spokesperson said Wednesday that the agency would not comment on "internal interagency deliberations." Senior Justice Department officials raised objections to the U.S. flying the equivalent of $400 million in cash to Iran around the time four detained Americans were released this past January, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

Source: Fox News August 03, 2016 23:07 UTC