Rep. Todd Young Responds to Release of U.S. Citizens Imprisoned in Iran
Statement
Congressman Todd Young (R-IN), the lead author of House legislation to create a House Select Committee to conduct ongoing oversight of the Iran nuclear deal, issued the following statement in response to reports that four U.S. citizens detained on dubious charges in Iran will be released as part of a prisoner swap:
"As a former officer in the Marine Corps and a concerned American, I'm pleased that at long last a fellow Marine and our U.S. citizens will be released," said Young. "It must be said that under different leadership, it wouldn't of required a $150 billion deposit into Iranian bank accounts to get them back."
"For years Secretary Kerry repeatedly told Congress their imprisonment was a separate issue from President Obama's nuclear deal. Yet miraculously, news of the U.S. citizens' release by Iran coincides with the very day Obama's legacy deal is slated for implementation. Such coincidence signals to me the White House lied and all along intended to use the imprisoned U.S. citizens as pawns in Obama's grand nuclear strategy."
"It's a sad day for America when in order to get back an innocent pastor teaching Christianity, a Marine visiting family, and a journalist penning articles on baseball, President Obama must first secure the nuclear legacy he's sought after for more than half a decade."
"The murkier details behind this swap suggest the ratio is little improved from the last time Obama violated U.S. policy to free five Taliban fighters in return for one American deserter. As is the trend, this swap will be hailed as a testament to the President's soft diplomacy when in reality it concedes Iran six known international Iranian criminals and a guarantee from Interpol not to hunt down more than one dozen others."
"Weak diplomacy now and the failure to pursue international criminals only weakens the hand for future administrations and makes it more difficult to keep future generations of Americans safe."-- Representative Todd Young
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