Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Saturday denounced the Obama administration for engaging in a prisoner swap in order to secure the release of four Americans in Iran.
“We shouldn’t be involved in swaps,” Rubio told reporters after a campaign event in Iowa, according to Time.
{mosads}“The fact of the matter is that this tells us everything we need to know about the Iranian regime — that they take people hostage in order to gain concessions,” Rubio continued.
“And the fact that they can get away with it with this administration I think has created an incentive for more governments to do this around the world.”
Rubio linked Saturday’s move to previous Obama administration prisoner swaps for aide worker Alan Gross in Cuba and Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl in Afghanistan.
“When you do deals like the Bergdahl deal and other things, you are incentivizing people to take Americans hostage and prisoner even if they’ve done nothing wrong,” Rubio said.
Four Americans held in Iran are expected to be released Saturday. A U.S. official told the Associated Press that the U.S. is freeing seven people in return.
“If these reports are true, of course we’re happy for them and their families, but they should have never been there,” Rubio said.