Sen. Tim Kaine, discussing the $400 million payment to Iran in January right as the country was releasing American hostages, said reality matters more than perception.
“Perception is one thing. Reality matters more,” Mr. Kaine said in an interview for Friday’s “CBS This Morning.” “We got hostages home and we took a legal claim that was a legit claim and bargained it down to a fraction and we paid that claim [off]. That’s the reality.”
“Iran had a sizable legal claim against the United States that has been pending in international law for a very long time. There was a settlement of that claim. A settlement where the U.S. agreed to pay a fraction of the claim. And yes, the U.S. then paid that claim,” Mr. Kaine said.
Asked if he would do the same deal as vice president, Mr. Kaine said: “I would negotiate any legal claim that we had and I’d try to get the best deal we could. And I’d also try to get American hostages home.”
Mr. Kaine also said Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump was “confused” when Mr. Trump said he saw footage of the money coming off a plane in a tape he said was likely released by Iran to embarrass the United States.
The tape Mr. Trump saw was actually footage of a hostage plane in Switzerland, and he walked back the claim Friday on Twitter.
“I have no idea what he’s talking about,” Mr. Kaine said. “It doesn’t exist. He might be thinking about Iran-Contra from like 35 years ago or something like this.”
• David Sherfinski can be reached at dsherfinski@washingtontimes.com.
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