Rumor-disproving website Snopes has proven itself especially unreliable on all matters political, and it did so again this week when it tried to “bust” the myth that President Obama had paid Iran $400 million in exchange for American citizens being held in Iranian jails.
As you may recall, back in January, the Obama administration managed to win the release of the men. Within days, nearly half a billion dollars was transferred to Iran.
Both Snopes and the Obama administration insist that the payment was part of the Iran nuclear deal and completely unconnected to the release of the men.
““[T]he money transfer was the result of a settlement of a long-standing claim at the Iran-U.S. Claims Tribunal in The Hague around the same time that the prisoners were released,” the Snopes article reads. “The Tribunal was created specifically to deal with diplomatic relations between Iran and the United States.”
The article largely sources a statement from State Department spokesman Jack Kirby.
“The negotiations over the (arms deal) settlement … were completely separate from the discussions about returning our American citizens home,” Kirby said in the statement. “Not only were the two negotiations separate, they were conducted by different teams on each side.”
Here’s the problem: Snopes completely ignores several major factors, including that Iran’s own government insisted that the payment was a ransom for the men.
“Iranian press reports have quoted senior Iranian defense officials describing the cash as a ransom payment. The Iranian foreign ministry didn’t respond to a request for comment,” The Wall Street Journal said (via the Federalist Papers Project).
And then there’s Iran’s Fars News Agency, which quoted the leader of Iran’s Basij Militia, Brig. Gen. Mohammad Reza Naqdi, openly saying that it was a ransom payment.
“The annulment of sanctions against Iran’s Bank Sepah and reclaiming of $1.7 billion of Iran’s frozen assets after 36 years showed that the U.S. doesn’t understand anything but the language of force. This money was returned for the freedom of the U.S. spy,” he said, referring to released U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati.
Snopes’ report includes none of that, merely taking the word of the administration as if it were more or less gospel.
Then again, this isn’t the first time the “mythbusting” website has been busted for its liberal agenda. Back in June, it claimed that a mass shooting stopped by a man concealed-carrying outside a nightclub wasn’t really a mass shooting, because “accounts of the altercation don’t indicate the gunman intended to kill multiple victims (or anyone at all).”
The man was firing at random people after a disagreement. Apparently, that doesn’t mean he intended to kill them. Who knew?
Snopes also tried to “bust” the myth that there were no American flags on stage during the first day of the Democratic National Convention by showing a still frame of a flag present during the Pledge of Allegiance.
Pretty damning stuff, until you realize that the still frame was from the second day, after the DNC had realized how bad the lack of flags looked. (The flag was also taken down right after the pledge, so there was that, too.)
However, it takes a certain lack of credibility to “bust” a myth by listening only to professional politicians — or their spokesmen — and taking their word for it. Can you imagine if other reporters did this?
“A ‘third-rate burglary?’ Well, looks like Nixon didn’t have anything to do with it after all! Who knew? Burger King for lunch, Woodward?”
Fine moments in reporting, brought to you by the ethos of Snopes.
http://conservativetribune.com/snopes-busted-obamas-lies/
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