During a Congressional hearing Thursday, Rep. Sean Duffy (R-WI) asked the State Department’s Christopher Backemeyer about the $1.7 billion cash payment to Iran, which was part of the nuclear deal struck with the Islamic nation in 2015.

Duffy wanted to know if any of the money received by Iran could be used for nefarious purposes:

DUFFY: “Any of the $1.7 billion that has been provided in cash to Iran—is any of that going to be used for terrorism? And can you guarantee me that that money won’t be used to harm any Americans?”BACKEMEYER: “…It’s our assessment the vast majority has gone to the critical economic needs that Iran has had. Now I can’t speak to every dollar that’s gonna go in or out of Iran, as you know…”

The House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations called thehearing “Fueling Terror: The Dangers of Ransom Payments to Iran.” Ostensibly, the principle objective was to determine where and how Iran is spending its recent windfall. – READ MORE