OSHKOSH — Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said this in response to a report that the Obama administration secretly organized an airlift of $400 million worth of cash to Iran at the same time as the January release of four Americans detained by the Iranian regime:

“The Obama administration entered into the disastrous Iran nuclear agreement hoping to modify Iran's behavior for the better. The exact opposite has occurred. Now we know that $400 million in foreign cash was delivered to coincide with the release of the hostages Iran was illegally holding.

“The reason the United States has had a policy of not paying ransom for the release of hostages is that doing so encourages the taking of more hostages. It appears Iran is doing exactly that.”