Quid pro quo? Australian government confirms refugee swap deal with Obama administration

William A. | 8:21 PM on February 21, 2017

Earlier this month, Twitchy covered the media outburst against President Trump over a phone call to Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull that became heated over a “dumb” refugee deal that the Obama administration had put in place:

You see, the U.S. has to take the refugees because they arrived on the island nation of Australia by boat https://t.co/160hw5lIW0

— Twitchy Team (@TwitchyTeam) February 2, 2017

This happened in Australia Tuesday:

Minister Peter Dutton finally admits there is a direct trade-off arrangement underpinning US refugee deal. #9News https://t.co/vDEfr9D80T

— Nine News Australia (@9NewsAUS) February 21, 2017

9 News in Australia reports that yes, there was a direct trade-off arrangement in place, and the United States was expected to take in refugees being held by Australia in offshore detention camps — many from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Iran, and Iraq — before Australia would take in anyone from Central America:

Fellow minister Dan Tehan wouldn’t utter the words “quid pro quo” when pressed about the US swap.

“You can call it that,” he told Sky News.

“What I would call it is both countries looking to help deal with genuine problems and fixing genuine problems when it comes to ensuring we can have in place proper border security but also deal with the issue of genuine refugees.”

“Both countries say the arrangements allow them to reject refugees they believe pose a security risk,” the report concludes.

Here is some video from the debate in Australia:

.@JulieBishopMP says Australian and American officials are working together to progress the Manus and Nauru refugee deal. pic.twitter.com/RimWpTMKt4

— Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) February 21, 2017