Unlike his recent news conference and admission, this photo depicts Kirby looking straight into the camera.
State Department spokesman John Kirby was asked at Thursday’s press briefing: "In basic English, you’re saying you wouldn’t give them $400 million in cash until the prisoners were released, correct?"
"That’s correct," Kirby replied.
In an Aug. 4 press conference, President Obama said the opposite.
"We do not pay ransom. We didn’t here, and we won’t in the future," the president told reporters, speaking of the Jan. 17 payment and hostage release.
Families "know we have a policy that we don’t pay ransom. And the notion that we would somehow start now, in this high-profile way, and announce it to the world, even as we’re looking in the faces of other hostage families whose loved ones are being held hostage, and saying to them ’We don’t pay ransom,’ defies logic," Obama added at the time.
He lectured the press for even raising the issue.
"It’s been interesting to watch this story surface. Some of you may recall, we announced these payments in January. Many months ago. There wasn’t a secret. We announced them to all of you. [Press secretary Josh Earnest] did a briefing on them. This wasn’t some nefarious deal," the president said. "It wasn’t a secret. We were completely open with everybody about it and it is interesting to me how suddenly this became a story again."
| Bad enough that ransom was paid. Worse, however, the State Department and the President of the United States lied about it. |
| Even worse is that everyone knew it was a lie, and could prove it was a lie, and that State had to know that they'd be forced to backtrack. And worse than that, Champ is out golfing and doesn't care. |
Government and politics suddenly elevated to the level of professional wrestling. Well, not so suddenly then.