Obama explodes When Asked why American Hostages in Iran Weren't Released

President Obama went ballistic when CBS News' Major Garrett asked him during a scheduled White House press briefing on the Obama administration's Iran deal about four Americans still held hostage by the Iranian regime.

"As you well know there are four Americans in Iran. Three held on trumped-up charges, according to your administration, and one whereabouts unknown," he said, referring to Christian pastor Saeed Abedini, retired U.S. Marine Amir Hekmati, Washington Post Tehran bureau chief Jason Rezaian and former FBI agent Robert Levinson, who went missing in Iran years ago.

Garrett continued, "Can you tell the country, sir, why you are content with all the fanfare around this deal to leave the conscience of this nation, the strength of this nation, unaccounted for in relation to these four Americans?"

President Obama, of course, didn't actually answer the question. Instead, he lashed out at the reporter:

"I got to give you credit, Major, for how you craft those questions. The notion that I am content as I celebrate with American citizens languishing in Iranian jails — Major, that's nonsense and you should know better," Obama said.

"I've met with the families of some of those folks. Nobody's content," he added.

So, with the Obama regime basically giving the Iranians everything they wanted that meant anything, they couldn't include freedom for four hostages as part of the deal? The prisoners are languishing in Tehran's notorious Evin prison. There are credible reports that at least one of the hostages has been tortured, and in fact all four may have been.
And John Kerry couldn't spare the time to insist on them being released? After the Bowe Bergdahl fiasco?

Garret responded to the president's criticism after the briefing, explaining that he intended to be "provocative."

"Sometimes you have to take a scolding from a president to get to an answer," he said during a CBS News live report. "That's part of my job."

"Politics, especially those elected as president, are very adept at creating straw men … that's exactly what the president did," he added. "Clearly it struck a nerve. That was my intention. Was it provocative? Yes. Was it intended to be as such? Absolutely."


I personally doubt this president actually met with their families, certainly not recently. But regardless of that it is singularly disgraceful that while giving away the store to a terrorist regime, this administration refused to insist on redeeming its American hostages. It sounds suspiciously four other Americans who were left to die in a place called Benghazi.

Kudos to Major Garrett for actually practicing journalism. And being willing to stand up to the inevitable retaliation from the Obama Regime for speaking truth to power.