The KEY here is this:
the persistent rumor that the Reagan campaign had swung some sort of deal regarding the American hostages being held in Iran.
Which was not part of the Iran-Contra affair…
Over the next decade or so, the rumors never went away. They were supercharged when the Iran-Contra scandal broke; that plan seemed so bizarre that the only explanation seemed to be the missiles were a long-delayed quo for the original quid of Iran hanging onto the hostages until Reagan was elected.
From the NYT article…
None of that establishes whether Mr. Reagan knew about the trip, nor could Mr. Barnes say that Mr. Casey directed Mr. Connally to take the journey. Likewise, he does not know if the message transmitted to multiple Middle Eastern leaders got to the Iranians, much less whether it influenced their decision making. But Iran did hold the hostages until after the election, which Mr. Reagan won, and did not release them until minutes after noon on Jan. 20, 1981, when Mr. Carter left office.
Notice, no mention of the Contras… If Connally was indeed working independently of the Reagan administration, how would he have been able to broker a deal with the Contras for funding…
So, two different scandals, both involving Iran…
