The timing and manner of the payment raised alarms at the Justice Department, according to those familiar with the discussions. Elliott Abrams, who served in both the National Security Council and the State Department explains, “What we’ve been told is that Justice objected but was overruled by State. This is in accord with critics of the deal who asserted this was a ransom arrangement that will induce more hostage-taking. It is hardly news that the State Department is more willing to accede to our foes’ demands for the sake of preserving its “diplomacy” (in this case, a horribly one-sided deal that has now distorted our approach to the region and horrified our allies). ), a staunch critic of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, released a statement: “With the news that the Department of Justice raised alarms about a $400 million cash ransom, the only way this gets worse is if Air Force One made the drop-off.

Source: Washington Post August 04, 2016 17:48 UTC