The GOP's Secret Scheme to Sabotage Carter's Reelection and Delay Hostage Release

Ben Barnes, a former Texas politician, has revealed that his mentor, John Connally Jr., took him on a mission to the Middle East in 1980 to sabotage the re-election campaign of President Jimmy Carter. Connally, a former Texas governor, was determined to prevent Carter from freeing the 52 Americans held captive in Iran before Election Day. Barnes said that Connally met with a host of regional leaders to deliver a blunt message to be passed to Iran: Don’t release the hostages before the election. Reagan will win and give you a better deal.