In his address to the nation on Wednesday regarding Iran’s missile attack on U.S. bases in Iraq, President Trump referred to the fact that the Obama administration handed over roughly $1.7 billion to Iran as a ransom for American hostages and said it helped Iran fund the attack. Well, that triggered the liberal media who sprinted to the former President’s defense. CBS White House correspondent Weijia Jiang actually suggested it was “unfounded” for Trump to make the connection. And NBC ran to Obama-era liar Susan Rice for backup.
Jiang began her CBS Evening News report by snapping at how Trump suggested the American people should be happy with how things had turned out. “But critics say there is no reason to celebrate, especially because tonight, U.S. intelligence agencies warn more threats may be looming,” she chided.
Later responding to a soundbite of Trump talking about the need for Iran to change its behavior, Jiang decried: “He blamed that behavior on the unfounded claim that the Obama-era nuclear agreement enabled Iran to build up its military arsenal.”
The assertion Trump’s claim was “unfounded” was laughable if the situation wasn’t so serious.
In a fact-check, CNN dinged Trump for exaggerating the money amount by saying Obama’s nuclear deal freed up $150 billion in frozen, overseas Iranian assets. But even they admitted Obama once used the same figure and noted the real amount was reportedly between $50-60 billion. That’s a lot of money entering a cash-strapped country that’s known to fund terrorist organizations around the region.
CNN also did not attempt to fact-check how Iran spent the unfrozen funds. The fact is, Iran doesn’t do domestic spending. The Iranian regime puts much of its funding towards developing its ballistic missile and other weapons technologies, the Revolutionary Guard, and terrorist group activities.
Also, CNN’s fact-check did lie to readers in that it falsely claimed the $1.7 billion was “to settle a decades-old dispute over a purchase of never-delivered US military goods Iran made…” That’s where the money came from but not why it was delivered.
Meanwhile, on NBC Nightly News, White House correspondent Kristen Welker hit on the “backlash to this comment about his predecessor, former President Barack Obama.” “That's a reference to Iran's money that was unfrozen as a part of the Iran nuclear deal, a deal negotiated by former President Obama and ripped up by President Trump,” she added after playing the same soundbite.
Welker then leaned on a clip of Obama National Security Advisor Susan Rice to combat Trump’s. “This is another series of despicable lies by President Trump,” Rice proclaimed. This was the same Susan Rice who lied to the American people about a YouTube video causing the attack on the U.S. Embassy in Benghazi, Libya.
She's definitely not the person you want calling other people liars.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CBS Evening News
January 8, 2020
6:32:48 p.m. EasternNORAH O’DONNELL: Well, we've got our team of correspondents covering the breaking developments, from Iran to the Pentagon, and Weijia Jiang leads off our coverage tonight from the White House. And, Weijia, it's been an extraordinary day.
WEIJIA JIANG: Norah, it has. And President Trump says Americans should be extremely happy and grateful for Iran's relatively tame response. But critics say there is no reason to celebrate, especially because tonight, U.S. intelligence agencies warn more threats may be looming.
[Cuts to video]
PRESIDENT TRUMP: Iran appears to be standing down, which is a good thing for all parties concerned.
JIANG: Surrounded by his top military commanders in the grand foyer of the White House, President Trump seemed to declare victory.
The President announced the U.S. would retaliate for last night's attacks with more sanctions, not strikes.
TRUMP: These powerful sanctions will remain until Iran changes its behavior.
JIANG: He blamed that behavior on the unfounded claim that the Obama-era nuclear agreement enabled Iran to build up its military arsenal.
TRUMP: The missiles fired last night at us and our allies were paid for with the funds made available by the last administration.
(…)
NBC Nightly News
January 8, 2020
7:06:38 p.m. Eastern(…)
KRISTEN WELKER: And there is backlash to this comment about his predecessor, former President Barack Obama.
PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP: The missiles fired last night at us and our allies were paid for with the funds made available by the last administration.
WELKER: That's a reference to Iran's money that was unfrozen as a part of the Iran nuclear deal, a deal negotiated by former President Obama and ripped up by President Trump. Today, a former top Obama official firing back.
SUSAN RICE: This is another series of despicable lies by President Trump.
(…)
