http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2015/04/20/watch-state-dept-spokeswoman-dodges-questions-from-frustrated-reporters-three-times-in-21-minutes/Watch: Reporter Gets Fed Up With State Dept. Spokeswoman During Press Conference and Calls Her Out
Apr. 20, 2015 2:37pm Pete Kasperowicz
Acting State Department spokesman Marie Harf had several snippy exchanges with reporters on Monday, as she dodged questions about the Iran nuclear agreement and an allegedly corrupt former contract employee at the department.
The first incident happened when one reporter asked Harf how State is able to stop Iran’s destabilizing behavior in other Middle East countries without engaging with Iran on this issue. Harf said State has sanctions and other tools, but said she agrees with the reporter that “it’s a challenge.”
When the reporter protested that he never said it’s a challenge, and implied Harf was dodging his real question, Harf interrupted:
“You don’t think it’s a challenge?”
The exasperated reporter replied, “I’m not here to answer your questions, I’m here to try to get answers to mine.”
Tensions rose again after reporters started asking Harf to confirm whether reports are true that Iran could gain immediate access to as much as $50 billion in frozen assets once the final Iran nuclear deal is signed.
Harf initially said, “that’s not true,” and stressed that all forms of “sanctions relief” would not take effect until Iran fully implements its nuclear commitments under the deal. That goes against a Wall Street Journal report, which said Iran would get access to billions right from the start, once the deal is signed.
When asked if it could be possible that Iran might be able to receive any money once the deal is signed, she dodged by saying it’s a hypothetical that seemed unlikely. But after several questions, she was finally asked whether Iran would get any sort of “signing bonus” just for agreeing to the final deal.
Harf seemed to indicate she didn’t actually know, and said she would have to check.
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