Trump 29: Divider In Chief or Liar In Chief? WHY NOT BOTH?

[candygirl200413]

Also remember she's just as racist and horrible as her husband, pushing the birther movement.

 

[Cartmann99]

6 hours ago, Ali said:

Is the choice of color for Melania's dress bothering anyone else? 

 It is an odd choice in American culture. I remember that she wore a dark-colored dress when they visited with survivors after the Las Vegas shooting. Could it be that Trump insisted she wear white?

[Cartmann99]

Something else to consider about Melania is that her parents and sister are US citizens because of chain migration. Remember the questions about whether Melania was originally working as a model on a visa that didn't allow her to be employed? If it's true that Melania was working before she had the correct visa, then Trump could be telling her that she and her family will be deported if she gets too far out of line.

[Destiny]

I just yelled fuck you so loud that Luna woke up and hid under the bed. ... She’s a whole other floor away. 

[47of74]

I just yelled fuck you so loud that Luna woke up and hid under the bed. ... She’s a whole other floor away. 

I wish fuckhead was here on FJ and said that so we could all make use of the fuck you reaction.

[AmazonGrace]

 

[AmazonGrace]

 

[Curious]

On 2/16/2018 at 6:44 PM, GreyhoundFan said:

"New Yorker: Ex-Playmate alleges Trump system for covering up affairs"

  Reveal hidden contents

Washington (CNN)A former Playboy model who claims she had an affair with Donald Trump beginning in 2006 is going public with a description of Trump's alleged system for concealing affairs.

In an eight-page, handwritten document that The New Yorker obtained, Karen McDougal detailed her alleged affair with Trump for nine months from June 2006 to April 2007, when Trump was two years into his marriage with Melania Trump, the future first lady. The document was provided to The New Yorker by McDougal's friend, but she confirmed to the magazine that the handwriting in the document is hers.

The magazine's story was published on Friday.

The document describes how Trump allegedly carried out his affair with McDougal -- paying for dinner in a private bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel, offering her money after the first time they had sex and reimbursing her for travel.

"No paper trails for him," McDougal wrote, according to The New Yorker.

A White House spokesperson denied the affair in a statement to the magazine.

"This is an old story that is just more fake news. The President says he never had a relationship with McDougal," the spokesperson said.

Trump also made comments McDougal found disrespectful, including calling her mother, who was close to Trump's age, an "old hag," and a lewd, stereotypical reference to black men's genitals, The New Yorker reported, citing multiple sources.

After ending the affair, McDougal signed a limited life-story rights agreement in August 2016, granting American Media, Inc., the publisher of the National Enquirer -- an outlet that's published material favorable to Trump -- exclusive ownership of her story for $150,000.

However, the company -- run by David Pecker, a friend of Trump's -- never ran her story and, according to The New Yorker, instead used the purchase to kill the piece. The company told the magazine it did not print it because it did not find McDougal's story to be credible.

Jerry George, a former senior editor for American Media, Inc., told The New Yorker that Pecker routinely buys and kills stories, and also protects Trump, who he considers a friend.

"We never printed a word about Trump without his approval," George told The New Yorker.

The company, according to the report, also agreed to publish regular columns by McDougal on aging and wellness, and to "prominently feature" her on two magazine covers.

McDougal told the The New Yorker she regretted signing the contract.

"It took my rights away," McDougal said. "At this point I feel I can't talk about anything without getting into trouble, because I don't know what I'm allowed to talk about. I'm afraid to even mention his name."

McDougal told the magazine she hopes speaking out would convince others to avoid signing similar agreements.

According to the magazine, McDougal, a Republican, was at first reluctant to speak about her alleged affair during the presidential campaign, fearing that Trump supporters might accuse her of fabricating her account or harming her or her family. She told The New Yorker she wanted to avoid "(influencing) anybody's election" or receiving "death threats on my head."

The Wall Street Journal, however, did publish a story about the alleged affair and the arrangement with the National Enquirer days before the 2016 election.

The story's publication comes after Trump's personal attorney, Michael Cohen, said he paid $130,000 to Stephanie Clifford, a porn star who goes by the name Stormy Daniels, ahead of the 2016 election. Clifford allegedly had a sexual encounter with the President before his time in office, though Cohen said Trump "vehemently denies" any encounter between the two.

Like McDougal, Clifford was barred from telling her story but because she signed a non-disclosure agreement. A manager for Clifford has claimed the agreement is no longer valid because of Cohen's disclosure about the payment.

Clifford's attorney, Keith Davidson, was also retained by McDougal to negotiate her deal with AMI, though he no longer represents McDougal.

Trump has previously faced accusations of having several extramarital affairs before he was elected President. He has also been accused by at least 15 women of a wide range of sexual misconduct accusations, including sexual assault, sexual harassment and lewd behavior. Trump has denied the allegations and at one point threatened to sue his accusers, though he has yet to do so.

Okay, I got a good giggle out of the fact that the National Enquirer is run by a guy whose last name is Pecker. How apropos.

I find it amusing.  My husband finds it HILARIOUS.  We are often in separate rooms, but both watching CNN.  When they were talking about that story the other day I hear loud laughing coming from the living room and foot steps coming down the hall.  I look up to see what is on CNN and hear "Pecker" so I yell down the hall Pecker?   Now the footsteps are followed by laughter again.   I swear the guy said Pecker 4-5 times and my husband is practically at the point he can't breathe standing in my office doorway.

Next segment comes on and it's about the story again.  First guy says blah blah blah Pecker...stops for an instant looking a bit sheepish and says "That's his real name!"  Gales of laughter from the living room and footsteps coming my way.

I have a feeling that until this story is resolved my husband is going to be making a lot of foot traffic between the living room and my office.

[Curious]

On 2/16/2018 at 7:27 PM, onekidanddone said:

  On 2/16/2018 at 6:44 PM, GreyhoundFan said:

However, the company -- run by David Pecker, a friend of Trump's -- never ran her story and, according to The New Yorker, instead used the purchase to kill the piece. The company told the magazine it did not print it because it did not find McDougal's story to be credible.

 

To the bold...so the Enquirer is a magazine meant to produce profit via sales not a freebie magazine based solely on ads or whatever.  Sales numbers/Circulation matter.  Yet we are expected to believe that AFTER they shell out $150,000 they suddenly decide that her story is not credible?

I have some ocean front property in Nebraska to sell you as well, Mr. Pecker since you are apparently handing out money for stories that will never see the light of day.

On 2/17/2018 at 1:01 AM, Cartmann99 said:

I think they were fighting on the plane to Florida. Watch Trump's face as he shoves Melania. 

 

That must be something he does to her a lot.  She doesn't even react.  Just puts her hand up to catch the railing.  No wonder he had no trouble defending Porter and ignoring the alleged victims.  Asshole.

22 hours ago, Ali said:

Is the choice of color for Melania's dress bothering anyone else? Wearing white while visiting people after a tragedy seems wrong to me. I know white is a funeral color in some cultures, but that is not the case in the United States. How about a gray or black or navy blue dress?

I've noticed that she wears white a lot.  I can't decide if it's something she just likes (I stay away from white because I'm a stain just waiting to happen.  I wouldn't even make it out of my house with a clean white shirt on lol) or if it's some kind of secret "help me" signal.

I guess that old rule about no white after Labor Day isn't a thing anymore eh?

[Curious]

21 hours ago, PsyD2013 said:

Trump believes the students "could have done more" to prevent the shooting.  https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/5593841/donald-trump-appears-blame-florida-shooting-victims/

Adolescents are not going to report own of their own again and again and again until someone hears them.   I've asked both my son and his friends  if they would ever turn someone in who brought a weapon or drugs to school.  The answer is always no, because you don't narc on other students, because the personal fallout would be dangerous.   

The fucking Yam goes on and on about mental health services, yet his buget cuts affect the availabity of counselors and school psychologists in the schools.  Health insurance does not mean mental health services are affordable.  

I dare the orange homunculus (thank you whoever coined that.  I've forgotten) to go to that school and try to talk to those kids.   Holy crap they have had so many of them on CNN and they are all very articulate and give me hope for the future.  There was one girl at the rally that gave a speech and I'd pay to watch her and Trump in a debate.  She would eat him alive.   There are several very well spoken boys that I'd pay to see take on anyone in Congress or Trump for that matter.

Is this some kind of special school?  It seems like some of the classes they talked about were unusual for a high school, but then I went to high school in the early 80s in a small rural town so our entire high school numbered a whopping 400 total for 9-12 (my graduating class was a little over 100 of those 400)

9 hours ago, Destiny said:

I just yelled fuck you so loud that Luna woke up and hid under the bed. ... She’s a whole other floor away. 

Cause there are only 10 FBI people working in the entire country and they are all on the russian thing.  He doesn't even understand how the FBI works.  You'd think by a year in he would at least have some basics under his belt by now.

I can't think of a single reason he's not just a waste of air and space.

[fraurosena]

Oh my! The presidunce is in full meltdown mode on twitter today. I guess Mueller's indictment has really gotten under his skin.

Here are a couple of his latest tweets:

As you can see, he's lashing out wildly at all the usual presiduncial suspects. 

[GrumpyGran]

1 hour ago, Curious said:

I guess that old rule about no white after Labor Day isn't a thing anymore eh?

Quick OT, I need to correct this, it's shoes. No white shoes between Labor Day and Memorial Day.

Back to Punkin' Head, is it raining this morning in Florida? He sure woke up more delusional than normal today. Or maybe he's getting scared and didn't sleep. His own people are disputing his ludicrous claims.

[47of74]

I can't think of a single reason he's not just a waste of air and space.

As are his douche nozzle supporters. I have no use for them nor do I have time for their grade A horse shit.

[PsyD2013]

Now the Fucking Yam is blaming the Democrats for not enacting gun control laws.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-blames-democrats-lack-gun-050306834.html

This ass declared that the NRA has a "friend in the White House".  Even if by some miracle, there was bipartison effort to create  gun control legislation, The Trumpster Fire  would not sign it .  

 

[Rachel333]

Classy tweet from the president.

Also, holy shit he's mad today! I had to laugh though at "Liddle' Adam Schiff, the leakin' monster of no control." He loves that apostrophe. It's appropriate with "leakin'" (though I don't know what the point is of omitting that 'g'--it's not like "lyin' Ted" where people actually do say "lying" that way), but there's absolutely no reason to use it with "Liddle." Also, Donald, you've used "liddle" for too many people; you need to think of some new insults!

This tweet also made me laugh:

As much as he likes rehashing his 2016 victory and bashing Hillary, he really doesn't like the line that she lost just because she was a bad candidate. He wants credit for being the great candidate he believes he is!

[fraurosena]

Ed Krassenstein's right. He's throwing out handfuls of shit in his twitter fit but omits one crucial piece of crap.

 

[Curious]

3 hours ago, GrumpyGran said:

Quick OT, I need to correct this, it's shoes. No white shoes between Labor Day and Memorial Day.

Back to Punkin' Head, is it raining this morning in Florida? He sure woke up more delusional than normal today. Or maybe he's getting scared and didn't sleep. His own people are disputing his ludicrous claims.

Drat, I may have just outed the fact that I know NOTHING about fashion or fashion rules.  Thanks for the correction. I learn something new on FJ every day, I think.

[GrumpyGran]

59 minutes ago, Curious said:

Drat, I may have just outed the fact that I know NOTHING about fashion or fashion rules.  Thanks for the correction. I learn something new on FJ every day, I think.

BTW, exceptions are your wedding day and Easter Sunday. If you're getting married for the first time, for the former, and if you're a girl under 18 for the latter.

Your southern fashion lesson is over for today.

[PreciousPantsofDoom]

8 hours ago, Curious said:

 

 I'm a stain just waiting to happen. 

I was reading this while eating toast with Nutella thinking I could get away with wearing white, because stripes. Nope. Sigh.   

[GrumpyGran]

24 minutes ago, PreciousPantsofDoom said:

I was reading this while eating toast with Nutella thinking I could get away with wearing white, because stripes. Nope. Sigh.   

Wait, are you me?

[fraurosena]

So I guess I'm the only one always hugging a plate under her chin while eating and typing at the same time.

I have to admit that it's not always effective when you have both cats and dogs in the house who love jumping up on your lap at the most inopportune moments, knocking that carefully balanced plate askew, hitting your chin (hard) and spilling food over your clothes, chair and floor. Sigh.

[GrumpyGran]

4 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

So I guess I'm the only one always hugging a plate under her chin while eating and typing at the same time.

I have to admit that it's not always effective when you have both cats and dogs in the house who love jumping up on your lap at the most inopportune moments, knocking that carefully balanced plate askew, hitting your chin (hard) and spilling food over your clothes, chair and floor. Sigh.

I picturing your house now. . I think I have an issue with rubber silverware.

[fraurosena]

2 minutes ago, GrumpyGran said:

I picturing your house now. . I think I have an issue with rubber silverware.

You have no idea how glad I am that we have tiled floors... 

[GreyhoundFan]

9 hours ago, GrumpyGran said:

Back to Punkin' Head, is it raining this morning in Florida? He sure woke up more delusional than normal today. Or maybe he's getting scared and didn't sleep. His own people are disputing his ludicrous claims.

I think he's probably panicked. The walls are closing in. Jared may lose his "job" because of his security clearance issues. Mueller is getting closer and closer. And the ebil librul media hasn't given up on printing mean stories about him and his cohorts.

 

"Fact-checking Trump’s error-filled tweetstorm about the Russia investigation"

Spoiler

In a tweetstorm that started late at night Saturday and continued into Sunday morning, President Trump railed against the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Here’s a quick guide to his many misstatements and misleading claims in this Twitter barrage.

‘Never said Russia did not meddle’

... < 7:33AM tweet >

Trump claims he “never said Russia did not meddle in the election” and then repeats a line in which he essentially disputed that by saying that a 400-pound hacker sitting in bed could have been behind the interference. One might argue that undermines his statement, but in any case, there are numerous instances of Trump suggesting that the Russian intervention in the election was a hoax ginned up by Democrats. He has also denounced the investigation into whether members of the Trump campaign had worked with the Russians, even after meetings and conversations were revealed. But from the start, he has consistently sought to minimize or dispute any possible Russian role in the election.

Here are numerous examples, in the form of a timeline up until Inauguration Day. Note, for instance, that when The Washington Post reported on Dec. 9, 2016, that the CIA had concluded that Russia, in its efforts, favored Trump — a fact confirmed by the special counsel’s Feb. 16 grand-jury indictment of 13 Russians and three companies in a long-running scheme to criminally interfere with the 2016 election — Trump said on Fox News, “I think it’s ridiculous. I think it’s just another excuse. I don’t believe it.” He asserted the source of the story was not the CIA but Democrats.

According to The Fact Checker’s database of Trump claims, Trump in his first year as president then 44 more times denounced the Russian probe as a hoax or witch hunt perpetuated by Democrats. For instance, here’s a tweet from the president after reports emerged about the use of Facebook by Russian operatives, a key part of the indictment:

... < tweet from September >

May 2016: U.S. government says there are indications of attempted cyberattacks on 2016 presidential election.

James R. Clapper Jr., then the director of national intelligence, said his agency had seen indications of attempted cyberattacks on the campaigns. He did not say whether the attempts were successful, whether foreign or domestic hackers were behind them, or which campaign networks were targeted.

June 2016: Russians are blamed for cyberattacks on U.S. campaigns; Trump blames both the Democratic National Committee and Russians for hacks.

June 14, 2016: Democratic National Committee officials and independent security experts concluded that Russian government hackers had breached the committee’s computer network, gaining access to its database of opposition research on Trump and all email and chat traffic, according to The Post. Russia denied the allegations.

June 15, 2016: A hacker identifying only as “Guccifer 2.0” took credit for the DNC breach. Yet that day, Trump said the DNC hacked itself:

“This is all information that has been out there for many years. Much of it is false and/or entirely inaccurate. We believe it was the DNC that did the ‘hacking’ as a way to distract from the many issues facing their deeply flawed candidate and failed party leader. Too bad the DNC doesn’t hack Hillary Clinton’s 33,000 missing emails.”

July 2016: More hacked DNC emails released; Trump invites Russia to meddle in the campaign.

WikiLeaks released nearly 20,000 emails from the DNC database. Trump, then the GOP presidential nominee, urged Russian hackers to obtain Clinton’s private emails that had been deleted.

“Russia, if you’re listening, I hope you’re able to find the 30,000 emails that are missing. … They probably have them. I’d like to have them released.”

Trump later said he was joking. He rejected allegations that the Russians had targeted DNC or that the Russians were attempting to help him get elected. He accused Democrats of fabricating Russian ties to Trump because they were embarrassed about WikiLeaks’ release of the documents — even though the previous month, he had said that the DNC had hacked itself.

... < tweet from July 2016...Funny how the failing @nytimes is pushing Dems narrative that Russia is working for me because Putin said "Trump is a genius." America 1st!>

... < another tweet from July 2016...In order to try and deflect the horror and stupidity of the Wikileakes disaster, the Dems said maybe it is Russia dealing with Trump. Crazy!>

August-October 2016

August 2016: As the GOP presidential nominee, Trump began receiving intelligence briefings this month. Trump reportedly was briefed on cybersecurity and the Russian government’s attempts to interfere in the elections, according to NBC News.

Over the next three months, Trump repeatedly denied Russian involvement, blamed the hacks on Democrats and praised WikiLeaks.

...<video>

Sept. 8, 2016: Trump’s interview with Larry King aired on RT America, a state-funded Russian television network. Trump said it was “pretty unlikely” that Russians were disrupting the elections, which he deemed an “inappropriate” act.

“I think it’s probably unlikely. I think maybe the Democrats are putting that out. Who knows? But I think that it’s pretty unlikely. But, you know, who knows?” If Russia were involved, Trump said he hopes “somebody’s going to be able to find out so they can end it because it would not be appropriate at all.”

Sept. 26, 2016: In the first presidential debate, Trump refused to blame Russia.

“I don’t think anybody knows it was Russia that broke into the DNC. She’s saying Russia, Russia, Russia, but I don’t — maybe it was. I mean, it could be Russia, but it could also be China. It could also be lots of other people. It also could be somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds, okay? You don’t know who broke into DNC.”

Oct. 7, 2016: U.S. intelligence agencies released a joint statement saying they were “confident that the Russian Government directed the recent compromises of emails from US persons and institutions, including from US political organizations.”

Oct. 9, 2016: In the second presidential debate, Trump again refused to blame Russia.

“I notice, anytime anything wrong happens, they like to say the Russians are — she doesn’t know if it’s the Russians doing the hacking. Maybe there is no hacking. But they always blame Russia. And the reason they blame Russia is because they think they’re trying to tarnish me with Russia.”

Oct. 19, 2016: In the third and final presidential debate, Trump again refused to blame Russia. When pressed, Trump generally condemned the concept of foreign influence on the election.

Moderator Chris Wallace: The top national security officials of this country do believe that Russia has been behind these hacks. Even if you don’t know for sure whether they are, do you condemn any interference by Russia in the American election?
Trump: By Russia or anybody else.
Wallace: You condemn their interference?
Trump: Of course I condemn. I don’t know Putin. I have no idea.

December 2016-January 2017: Presidential transition

Dec. 9, 2016: The CIA concluded that Russia intervened in the election to help Trump win the presidency, The Post reported.

... < video >

Dec. 11, 2016: President-elect Trump called The Post’s report “ridiculous” and an excuse made up by Democrats.

“I think it’s ridiculous. I think it’s just another excuse. I don’t believe it. I don’t know why, and I think it’s just — you know, they talked about all sorts of things. Every week, it’s another excuse. We had a massive landslide victory, as you know, in the electoral college. I guess the final numbers are now at 306. She’s down to a very low number. No, I don’t believe that at all.” (“Fox News Sunday”)

Dec. 12, 2016: Trump tweeted this, even though the hacking was brought up throughout the election.

... < tweet from December 2016>

Dec. 28, 2016: Trump said Americans should move on from Russia allegations and distanced himself from the Obama administration’s plans to impose sanctions on Russia for alleged interference.

“I think we ought to get on with our lives. I think that computers have complicated lives very greatly. The whole age of the computer has made it where nobody knows exactly what’s going on. We have speed, we have a lot of other things, but I’m not sure we have the kind of security we need.”

Jan. 6, 2017: The U.S. intelligence community released a declassified report concluding that Russians influenced the election in an effort to help Trump get elected. Barack Obama and Trump are briefed on this report.

Jan. 10, 2017: CNN and BuzzFeed report about a dossier alleging Trump-Russia ties. The dossier’s existence was first reported by Mother Jones. Trump responds that night on Twitter: “FAKE NEWS — A TOTAL POLITICAL WITCH HUNT!”

... < video >

Jan. 11, 2017: Trump said for the first time that he thinks Russia was behind the DNC hack.

“As far as hacking, I think it was Russia. But I think we also get hacked by other countries and other people.”

But later in that same news conference, he backed away from his statement. In subsequent tweets, Trump blamed Democrats and even Republican opponents.

Question: Mr. President-elect, you said, just now, that you believe Russia indeed was responsible for the hacking of the DNC and John Podesta’s emails, et cetera.
Trump: All right, but you know what, it could have been others also.

 

FBI is ‘spending too much time trying to prove Russian collusion’

... < stupid tweet from this morning>

Trump appears to believe that a massive federal agency is run like the 100-person Trump Organization, where very little escapes the attention of the top leadership. While FBI officials in Miami did not act on the tip about the suspected Florida shooter reported to the bureau’s Public Access Line, there is no evidence that agents involved with that program are involved in the Russia investigation.

 

‘Collusion was between Russia and Crooked H, the DNC and the Dems’

... < another stupid tweet from this morning>

In the wake of the indictment, Trump’s national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, acknowledged on Feb. 17  that evidence of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election is “incontrovertible.” Yet Trump repeatedly has tried to turn the tables on Clinton by claiming that she colluded with the Russians. But there no evidence that is the case, and it makes little sense given Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intense dislike of Clinton.

The reference to “Uranium” is code for Hillary Clinton’s alleged role in the approval of the sale of a Canadian company, Uranium One, with mining rights in the United States to Rosatom, Russia’s nuclear energy agency. We have fact-checked this repeatedly, since Trump first raised it in the campaign.

Trump suggests the State Department under Clinton had sole approval authority on a uranium rights deal with a company largely owned by Russia’s nuclear energy agency. But the State Department is one of nine agencies in the Committee on Foreign Investments in the United States to vet and sign off on all U.S. transactions involving foreign governments. There is no evidence that Clinton herself got involved in the deal personally, and it is highly questionable that this deal even rose to the level of the secretary of state. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission also needed to approve, and did approve, the transfer.

Trump often falsely claims that Clinton “gave away” 20 percent of U.S. uranium, but it’s actually only 2 percent of an already small total U.S. production.

“Podesta” is code for the false accusation that Clinton campaign manager John Podesta was involved with a Russian company. His brother, Tony Podesta, co-founded the Podesta Group, a lobbying firm, with his brother. But it’s a U.S.-based company, not a company in Russia. Trump probably is referring to the Podesta Group being paid $170,000 over six months to represent Sberbank, a Russian bank. The Podesta Group said its work for Sberbank USA was “never about getting sanctions lifted” and “was simply about helping to clarify to what extent our client, the U.S. subsidiary [of Sberbank], was subject to sanctions. We confirmed they were not.”

As for the “Dirty Dossier,” Trump is referring to the fact that the political research firm Fusion GPS, which assembled the dossier as part of an assignment for a law firm that worked for the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee, relied on a British intelligence agent who used Russian sources for his research. So that’s a rather big stretch.

Meanwhile, investigators have reached no conclusions about whether Russian involvement changed the outcome of the 2016 election, but Trump’s electoral college victory was very narrow in three key states. In fact, his margin of victory in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania was smaller than the votes garnered by Jill Stein, the Green Party candidate, who also won favor with Russian operatives.

 

‘Obama was able to send $1.7 Billion Dollars in CASH to Iran’

... < yet another stupid tweet from this morning >

Trump falsely suggests there is something nefarious, worthy of an FBI investigation, about a settlement of claims with Iran. The fishy thing about the deal was not that cash was involved — Iranian banks were cut off from the banking system because of sanctions — but the timing of it.

On Jan. 17, 2016, the same day that Iran released American detainees — including The Post’s Jason Rezaian — the State Department announced a $1.7 billion settlement of claims with Iran.

In the 1970s, the then-pro-Western Iranian government under the shah paid $400 million for U.S. military equipment. But the equipment was never delivered because the two countries broke off relations after the seizure of American hostages at the U.S. Embassy in Iran in the wake of the revolution.

A key element in the release of the hostages in 1981 was that the United States agreed to release several billion dollars in Iranian gold and bank assets that had been frozen in U.S. banks.

After the 1981 hostage deal, the two countries set up a tribunal in The Hague to litigate outstanding claims against each other. The $400 million remained unresolved, but U.S. officials say a ruling was expected that would have resulted in the return of the $400 million plus billions of dollars in outstanding interest. Instead, concurrent with the detainee negotiations, the two countries negotiated a deal that resulted in a return of the $400 million plus $1.3 billion in interest.

At the time, U.S. officials touted the agreement as a savings for American taxpayers. “Iran is unable to pursue a bigger tribunal award against us, preventing U.S. taxpayers from being obligated to a larger amount of money,” Secretary of State John F. Kerry said at the time. Obama said: “For the United States, this settlement could save us billions of dollars that could have been pursued by Iran.”

The Treasury Department said the $1.3 billion in interest was paid out of a fund associated with the tribunal known as the Judgment Fund, which it says is “a source of funding to pay judgments and settlements of claims against the United States when there is no other source of funding.”

U.S. officials refused to acknowledge a connection between the payment and the release of the detainees, but a Revolutionary Guard commander openly declared that the money was returned in exchange for the “release of the American spies.” An Iranian news report said the cash arrived on the same day that the Americans left Tehran.

Ironically, when the deal was announced, the families of more than a dozen Americans attacked or held hostage by Iranian proxies were outraged. They had been told that the $400 million already had been paid to them, as part of a settlement reached by the Clinton administration (and urged on by then-first lady Hillary Clinton), according to an article in Newsweek. But it turned out that the money could not be paid, as Iran had filed a claim for the $400 million in The Hague, and so the families instead received $400 million in U.S. taxpayer funds in 2001. But no one admitted that to the families until Obama announced the new deal 15 years later.

 

[Cartmann99]

I think this is the cause of Trump's meltdown today: