Trump backtracks on ‘top secret’ Iran cash video

US Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has backtracked on an earlier claim that he had seen “top secret” video footage that showed the US giving $400 million in cash to Iran.

Trump had originally made the claim at a rally. His team admitted it was correct, but Trump repeated the claim again at another rally.

“The plane I saw on television was the hostage plane in Geneva, Switzerland, not the plane carrying $400 million in cash going to Iran!” he tweeted at 5:39 EST.

Trump’s claims about the plane came in response to a Wall Street Journal report that revealed that the US had provided cash to Iran as part of a long-disputed arms deal settlement. The timing of the payment led several critics to believe that it was a ransom in exchange for hostages.

Trump reacted by claiming to have seen a “top secret” video that showed the transfer of money.

“Iran provided all of that footage, the tape, of taking that money off that airplane,” he said in a Florida rally. “Where that plane landed, top secret, they don’t have a lot of paparazzi, you know. I’ll never forget the scene this morning. Iran – I don’t think you’ve heard this anywhere but here – Iran provided all of that footage, the tape of taking that money off that airplane, right? $400 million in cash.”

His comments came shortly after he had officially been cleared to start receiving classified briefings from the intelligence community, leading to speculation that he had received some sort of briefing and then spilled the beans at a town hall.

However, by late Wednesday, Trump’s staff told reporters that the video Trump was referring to was actually footage of a different aeroplane in Switzerland that had nothing to do with the cash.

However, in another rally on Thursday, Trump doubled down on his assertion about the top secret video, leading many to question the disconnect between what he believed about the plane and what his staff was telling the press.

Democratic Vice Presidential Candidate Tim Kaine said he has no idea what Trump was talking about, when asked about his comments on CBS.

“The video doesn’t exist…He might be talking about Iran-Contra from, like, 35 years ago or something like this,” Kaine said.