Kirk: Obama ‘acting like drug dealer in chief’ in Iran deal

In a conversation with the State Journal-Register in Springfield, IL, Kirk compared Obama’s partnership with Iran to a drug deal.

Sen. Mark Kirk joined fellow Republicans in criticizing President Obama for shipping $400 million in cash to the Iranians, and withholding that payment until American prisoners were freed. “Giving clean packs of money to a… state sponsor of terror”.

‘Those 500-euro notes will pop up across the Middle East, ‘ Kirk warned. “We’re going to see problems in multiple [countries] because of that money given to them”.

Lance plans to introduce the Victims Before Ransom Act, a bill that would bar the administration from moving forward on cash payments to Iran until millions of dollars in judgments awarded to victims of Iran’s global terrorist network are paid.

The money was part of a fund Tehran used to purchase USA military equipment when the shah was in control of Iran; it was frozen after the Islamic Revolution. President Obama has insisted it wasn’t ransom, while Republican critics in Congress say it will encourage other enemies of the U.S.to seize Americans as hostages.

We should add, by the way, that Kirk’s Democratic opponent for re-election, Rep. Tammy Duckworth, didn’t exactly cover herself in glory in how she handled that goof-up by the senator.

“Sen. Kirk’s comments are misguided and deeply offensive, and beneath the dignity of the office he holds”, spokesman Matt McGrath said in a statement to CNN. The cash, delivered on pallets, consisted of Swiss francs, euros and other currencies because US law forbids transacting American dollars with Iran.

Asked about those comments shortly after he made them, Kirk explained: “That was me being too carried away with, I’ve been pretty angry about the Iran deal”.

But the Kirk campaign stood by his latest attack. Mark Kirk has deployed a racially loaded dog whistle against the president. Kirk later apologized for “inappropriate remarks”.

Kirk, who holds Obama’s former U.S. Senate seat, has made numerous controversial comments.

Kirk also suggested to the Peoria Journal Star previous year that people drive faster through African-American neighborhoods out of fear of crime. Kirk also expressed regret a year ago for referring to his colleague Lindsey Graham, a senator from SC, as “a bro with no ho”.