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The Scandal Is Surprisingly Simple
- Iran-Contra is simple: weapons were sold to Iran to fund Nicaraguan contras.
- The scandal's remembered complexity masks two separate abuses in Iran and Nicaragua.
Human Rights Harms Were Central
- The contras were violent, US-funded militias that terrorized civilians.
- Large human-rights abuses, not bookkeeping, were the central moral crime.
Loopholes Drove The Funding Scheme
- Officials exploited legal loopholes to keep funding the contras despite congressional bans.
- Money was laundered through foreign donors and agencies to bypass the Boland Amendment.