Reuters is reporting that Nader Modanlo, an Iranian-American businessman who was convicted of taking a $10 million payment from Iran in exchange for his help in brokering a deal between Iran and Russia to launch a satellite, apparently gets to keep the cash as part of the prisoner swap deal:
Exclusive: The White House dropped a $10 million claim to sweeten the Iran prisoner deal. https://t.co/PAH012REm5 pic.twitter.com/AY5CVz3Qvx
— Reuters (@Reuters) January 27, 2016
According to Reuters, Modanlo refused the Obama administration’s first offer of clemency and had to “sweeten” the offer by offering to drop its claim on the cash:
Nader Modanlo was facing five more years in federal prison when he got an extraordinary offer: U.S. President Barack Obama was ready to commute his sentence as part of this month’s historic and then still-secret prisoner swap with Iran. He said no.
To sweeten the deal, the U.S. administration then dropped a claim against the Iran-born aerospace engineer for $10 million that a Maryland jury found he had taken as an illegal payment from Iran, according to interviews with Modanlo, lawyers involved and U.S. officials with knowledge of the matter.
The surrender of the U.S. claim, which has not previously been reported, could add to scrutiny of how the Obama administration clinched a prisoner deal that has drawn criticism from Republican presidential candidates and lawmakers.
“Art of the Deal” this was not:
ERGO THE RISE OF TRUMP. https://t.co/MDuTlY8uTK
— Doug (@dandeson64) January 27, 2016
Another bad deal by a weak capitulator @POTUS . With a president like Obama who needs enemies? https://t.co/QJ4gGNOMeZ
— Barracuda (@A_D_Seri) January 27, 2016
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https://twitter.com/Tim_Tirebiter/status/692357614462750721
Jesus…. Wonder what Obama WOULDN'T do to save the Iran deal??? https://t.co/Msj7P0LLkD
— Erik (@winefishdawg) January 27, 2016
And maybe we need to start paying attention to Iranian media sources to get the truth about what our government is doing?
This was announced last week by @JZarif in his #iran TV interview https://t.co/x0iRVgr497
— Hannahkaviani (@Hannahkaviani) January 27, 2016
Upon his release, Modanlo referred to himself as a political prisoner:
Iranian-American convict released in deal with #Iran: I was a political prisoner, too https://t.co/XhGPLrCifr
— Golnaz Esfandiari (@GEsfandiari) January 22, 2016
Yeah … a political prisoner with $10 million in his pocket, thanks to this bad deal.
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Related:
Capitulation in progress: Rome covered nude statues during visit of Iran president Hassan Rouhani
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