Is the Iranian nuke deal a fraud?

'The O'Reilly Factor' analyzes new allegations that the Obama administration deceived the American people

This is a RUSH transcript from "The O'Reilly Factor," May 6, 2016. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
Watch "The O'Reilly Factor" weeknights at 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET!

O'REILLY: "Impact" segment tonight. Stunning report from "The New York Times" in its Sunday magazine. The newspaper will say that the Obama administration did not tell Americans the whole truth about the Iranian nuke deal. In the state of the Union Address on January 12th, President Obama said this --

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

OBAMA: That's why we built a global coalition with sanctions and principal diplomacy to prevent a nuclear armed Iran, and as we speak Iran has rolled back its nuclear program, shipped out its uranium stockpile and the world has avoided another war.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY: Joining us now from Washington with analysis of the story, FOX News Chief D.C. Correspondent James Rosen. What is -- you read the entire story, I assume. I have not read it. You've read it?

JAMES ROSEN, FOX NEWS CHIEF WASHINGTON CORRESPONDENT: Yes.

O'REILLY: Okay. What's the head line?

ROSEN: Well, the question here raised is whether there was deception in the selling of the Iran deal to the American public as practiced by Ben Rhodes chiefly, who is the deputy National Security adviser for Strategic Communications at the White House and the answer is unquestionably there was.

O'REILLY: All right. Let me stop you. Hold on.

ROSEN: Okay.

O'REILLY: We have to walk through it so even I can understand it. You can't get too fast for me. So, Ben Rhodes is interviewed by "The New York Times" in this "Times" Sunday magazine, correct?

ROSEN: Correct.

O'REILLY: And he says what? What led you to the deception word? What led you there?

ROSEN: Well, of course, he denies that there was deception practiced. The instance that's dwelled upon in this 10,000 word "New York Times" magazine profile of Ben Rhodes offers one example about the timing of the Iran nuclear deal. The allegation is that the administration sold to the American public that it's advisable to do this deal now because there's a more moderate government in Iran now after the election there of Rouhani. But I can attest directly that the Obama administration in the person of then State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland, of whom I am very fond, flat outside lied to me in February, 2013.

When I showed up in the briefing room in the State Department, I asked pointblank, are there any direct talks going on between the U.S. and Iran of any kind and she said no at a point when those talks had been ongoing for eight months. But here is the real point, Bill. We need to distinguish, it seems to me, between lies about the timing or the origins of the nuclear deal and those lies that have been told about the substance of this deal, especially when Congress was reviewing it, and here Ben Rhodes was central. He told CNN on camera in April of last year under this deal, you will have anywhere, anytime, 24/7 access to Iran's nuclear facilities.

Well, that turned out to be false and Secretary of State Kerry later testified that anywhere anytime as he put it was never part of the discussion we had with the Iranians and there are numerous such instances of deception on the part of this administration.

O'REILLY: In this article though, that's not the headline. We already knew that the USA and its allies and the U.N. did not have the access that it initially told the world it did have. We already knew that. But there's apparently another deceptive line that involves manipulation of reporters. What is that?

ROSEN: Yes, and this is a very well-written profile by David Samuels of Ben Rhodes and how he goes about his daily task as the strategic communications deputy National Security adviser. Look, Ben Rhodes is among the best at what he does, but we have to be clear too in fairness to him, and we have seen characters like Ben Rhodes serving the same function all the way back to the selling of the president in 1968, and we can be grown- up about the need to have on the government payroll people like Ben Rhodes and not get bent out of shape that the person on behalf of whom Ben Rhodes will spin self-serving narratives will be his actual boss, Barack Obama.

The forbidden zone for the Ben Rhodes of the world and this article does a very good job of laying out how he went freely romping into the forbidden zone, is the pressing of false narratives and we've seen that repeatedly from this administration including on Benghazi and again in fairness to Ben Rhodes, I'm sure he and his colleagues would point out the Iraq war and WMD as a false narrative.

O'REILLY: So, what's the false narrative on the Iranian nuke deal?

ROSEN: Okay. As I explained earlier, the whole point of this "New York Times" magazine piece is that the administration sold to the American people the idea that it's advisable to do this deal now with Iran --

O'REILLY: Okay. So it's the time line. Got it.

ROSEN: That's right.

O'REILLY: It's a timeline deal. So, the Obama administration said we have to do this deal now. We can't wait. Because they have a moderate government in Iran.

ROSEN: Right.

O'REILLY: But it's not a moderate government, and the Obama administration knew it. Do I have it?

ROSEN: No, because the further piece is they had already been engaged in the overtures to Iran about this nuclear deal long before this election took place and --

O'REILLY: They didn't care what kind of administration was --

ROSEN: Correct.

O'REILLY: Didn't matter.

ROSEN: Correct. They were bent on doing it.

O'REILLY: All right, Rosen. See, Rosen now, I think I almost understand it. You're much smarter than I am. That's why I have to slow you down sometimes.

ROSEN: This is why you find me threatening. I understand.

O'REILLY: No, it's your tie, Rosen. That's why. All right. I'm going it read the article. And I think everybody should check it out. We appreciate it.

Content and Programming Copyright 2016 Fox News Network, LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Copyright 2016 CQ-Roll Call, Inc. All materials herein are protected by United States copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published or broadcast without the prior written permission of CQ-Roll Call. You may not alter or remove any trademark, copyright or other notice from copies of the content.