D'OH! If State Dept's John Kirby didn't want to admit a ransom was paid to Iran, he failed BIG TIME

Pop Quiz:

Q: What happens when you are on record as paying ransom?

A: Thats right, kidnapping becomes really, really popular.

— varifrank (@varifrank) August 18, 2016

Remember when President Obama and the State Department said this earlier in the month?

"We do not pay ransom for hostages," President Obama says https://t.co/05WMc4Efdm pic.twitter.com/1NB3YjuK8p

— Bloomberg Politics (@bpolitics) August 5, 2016

https://twitter.com/passantino/status/766360683663417344
https://twitter.com/passantino/status/766364037265227776

The White House insisted the $400 million payment to Iran as four U.S. citizens were being released wasn’t a ransom and was just coincidental timing. But according to State Dept. Spokesman John Kirby today, the exchange was the textbook definition of “ransom”:

@StateDept confirms that US wouldn't pay the $400 m in cash to Iran until the prisoners were released

— Brad Klapper (@bradleyklapper) August 18, 2016

Q on #Iran: "You wouldn't give them the $400 mil. until the prisoners were released? @statedeptspox: "Yes." pic.twitter.com/XUZV1TjygS

— Steve Herman (@W7VOA) August 18, 2016

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Roll tape:

https://twitter.com/cerenomri/status/766361604363472896

Sure sounds like a ransom to us!

https://twitter.com/RepKevinYoder/status/766369877506551809

But it’s all the media’s fault, or something:

State Department blames attention and criticism of ransom payment to Iran on the media https://t.co/naQl2HuQ03

— David Rutz (@DavidRutz) August 18, 2016

So, in short:

https://twitter.com/GovMatt/status/766361914918182912