Freedom as Five Americans released by iran are now on their way home to the United States. Well discuss the terms of the deal that ended their wrongful imprisonment with the Top National Security adviser to President Biden, jonathan finer. Also tonight, Ukrainian PresidentVolodymyr Zelenskyy is now in the United States for critical meetings over at the United Nations and here in washington. Well preview his plea for more Global Support as ukraines Counter Offensive against russia drags on. And another trump codefendant attempts to move the Georgia Election interference case to Federal Court. This as the former president is taking credit for efforts to try to overturn the 2020 president ial election declaring it was his decision. Welcome to our viewers here in the United States and around the world. Im wolf blitzer. Youre in the Situation Room. We begin this hour with the release of Five Americans wrongfully imprisoned in iran, and the deal that made it possible. Cnns Becky Anderson is covering it all for us. Shes joining us live from doha, qatar. You were on the scene as the Freed Americans landed in doha before heading to the United States. Give us the latest on their journey to freedom. Reporter this has been a deal more than 18montes in the making, involving u. S. Partners, south korea, switzerland, and very specifically qatar, here where i am, which has been very much involved in as much as eight rounds of negotiations to get to this point today. Putting an end to what has been a years long nightmare for these five detainees in iran who arrived at the airport behind me. Late afternoon, local time here. Partway through their journey back to the United States. They are on that last leg, and homeward bound as we speak. Smiles, hugs and tears as Five Americans detained inside iran for years are finally freed and on their way home. Among them, siamak namazi, he was arrested in 2015 while on a Business Trip to iran. And charged with having relations with a hostile state. After nearly eight years in prison, namazi was irans longest held american prisoner, feeling abandoned by the u. S. Earlier this year he appealed directly to President Biden in an unprecedented interview with cnn from inside the notorious evin prison. Honestly, the other hostages and i desperately need President Biden to finally hear us out, to finally hear our cry for help and bring us home. Reporter also freed, duel iranianAmerican Citizens, marad tahbaz. Tahbaz was arrested on a trip to iran in 2018. Shagi, who moved with his wife in tweft was also detained in 2018, on similar charges to that of namazi. Their fate tied to tensions between the two countries, but with the help of a common friend in qatar, Breakthrough Diplomacy brought us to this very moment. Iran freed the duel citizens in a deal to release five iranians held in u. S. Prisons. And two unblock 6 billion in frozen iranian funds from south korea. That cash moving from seoul to switzerland before being transferred to doha, after the Biden Administration last week issued a Sanctions Waiver Clearing the way for the money to move. The roll of qatar now changing from mediator to guarantor. Ensuring washingtons demands that irans billions are strictly controlled and spent only on humanitarian goods like food and medicine. But critics worry even with dohas oversight, the moneys could be spent however teheran decides. Theres also concern this latest deal enables what many critics have dubbed teherans hostage diplomacy. But for the Freed Americans, today at least, politics will likely be a secondary concern as they finally get to go home after years of mental and physical anguish. And those detainees should be on the ground in washington at a Military Airport by just before 5 00 in the morning. The Biden Administration says that iran has not changed on the back of this. They remain an adversary, and are considered a State Sponsor of terror wolf . Becky anderson, thank you so much. The hes now at the United Nation where President Biden addresses the General Assembly tomorrow. John, thank you so much for joining us. How are these Five Americans and their families doing right now . What updates can you give us, first of all, on their condition . Well, wolf, what i can say, respectful of their privacy is that were very glad that they are on route back home and will be reunited with their families very shortly. The president had the opportunity to speak with their families earlier today to express how happy he was about their ability to reunite with their loved ones, and the truth is thats what today is all about. As you know, they have been held for varying durations, some for many years, some for a shorter amount of time. The important thing is they will be offered a number of services to help them reacclimate to regular life, and they will be returned to their families in short order. Were so happy theyre on their way back to the United States to be reunited with their families right now. As you know, john, the Biden Administration has insisted that this negotiation to get their release is separate from Nuclear Talks with iran, but are you concerned these funds that are now being freed up could bolster Irans Nuclear program . Wolf, as you say, this is an entirely separate conversation with the iranians, from anything related to National Security issues like Irans Nuclear program. This was about the merits of bringing Five Americans back home and to their loved ones, and as for the funds that are involved, as you know, they will be moving from one restricted account in south korea to another restricted account in qatar, and the iranians will be able to use the funds for authorized purposes, food and medicine, and Agricultural Products and medical devices and that will be closely monitored. If theres any deviation, the funds will be frozen, and we expect the funds will be spent over a long period of time, probably measured in years. We feel very comfortable that the funds will be used for the purpose for which theyre bended. Intended. John, with the u. S. Oversight, once the funds are accessed by iran, how can the u. S. Guarantee they will only be used for these humanitarian purposes. The keyword you just used are accessed. These funds are not actually going to be returned to iran, even though these are actually iranian funds that were in this south korean account, they never go back to iran, theyre transferred to iranian accounts in qatar, and each transaction from qatar can be monitored. As the iranians use them to purchase things like food, medicine, agricultural device, we can monitor transaction by transaction and make sure theres no deviation. We have extraordinary reach in terms of our visibility, our intelligence, our ability to monitor the financial system. Thats how we have identified elicit iranian transactions in the past that resulted in sanctions, extensive sanctions. By the way, 400 Sanctions Designations in this administration alone. So we feel comfortable with our ability to monitor and make sure that these funds are used the way they are supposed to be. The u. S. Announced new additional sanctions targeting iran today, but beyond that, john, what more can be done to stop adversaries from detaining American Citizens for political gain . Well, wolf, i would direct you to a couple of lines in the president s Statement Today and to some language that the State Department has used. In particular about the travel of American Citizens to iran. We strongly discourage americans from doing that for any reason, and we know that a number of americans do travel to iran, including some duel nationals, some people who are citizens of both iran and the United States. The problem is that iran will treat americans, potentially as an opportunity. And treat iranian americans as subject to iranian laws in ways that can compromise their safety and security, so the president has been very firm, very clear as has secretary of state tony blinken that americans should not travel to iran, and we can not guarantee their safety, certainly while theyre in iran or that if they fall victim to one of these same situations that led to these Five Americans have been held that we will necessarily be able to secure their release. We have been quite firm about that, and urge people to follow their advice. We tell American Citizens, whether duel citizens or not, dont go to iran right now and other messages as well. What message does this send that this is following the anniversary of ma samin irngss death. This is an iranian government that does not respect human rights, irans own zts. The United States has been firm in the crackdown that has taken place against iranian demonstrators. We have done a number of Sanction Designations in response to that situation, including some quite recently around this anniversary, and, you know, the question really should go back to the iranian government. They should not undertake these activities against their people, citizens of foreign countries, its not just the United States who they have detained, imprisoned and in some cases who they continue to imprison, which is why we have been so firm and urging people not to travel there. Jonathan finer, the White House Principle DeputyNational Security adviser, thank you so much for joining us. Thanks very much for having me. Just ahead, the Ukrainian President , Volodymyr Zelenskyy has just arrived in the United States ahead of crucial meetings here in washington as well as over at the United Nations. Mondnday evening in the Situation Room is presented by verizon. 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A federal judge says hell decide soon on Jeffrey Clarks bid to move his georgia criminal case to Federal Court. Clark is a former Senior Trump Justice Department official, and one of the expresident s 18 codefendants indicted for allegedly trying to subvert the states 2020 president ial election results. Cnns sara murray is following the proceedings for us. Shes joining us right now. Did the judge seem inclined based on what you saw and heard to move this case . He seemed pretty skeptical of the arguments from jeff clarks team, he had to make the case it was related to his role. He challenged clarks Attorney On Why Clark was circulating these claims of Election Fraud his bosses said were bogus in these draft memos to georgia officials, and it hurt clark that he didnt show up for person in this hearing. He submitted a sworn statement that the judge refused to accept into evidence because prosecutors cant crossexamination a sworn statement. That came up. This is interesting to see what happens for jeff clark, and also interesting because we want to know whats going to happen to donald trump in this case. Trumps attorneys signal its possible they will try to move his case to Federal Court as well. They havent done that yet but we know they have been watching in closely. They were in the courtroom again today. At one point our team in the courtroom overheard trumps attorneys opining that things were not going well for Jeffrey Clark. They want to learn what they can from the codefendants before they make their own move to move to Federal Court if they do that. Well see if clark prevails, and well see what happens with trump. Process continues. Thank you very much for that report. Im joined by elie honig, and andrew mccabe. Donald trump gave an interview to nbc news yesterday where he was very revealing about the decision to falsely claim that the 2020 election was stolen. Listen to this. Were you listening to your lawyers advice or your own instincts . I was listening to different people and when i added tup, the election was rigged. Were you calling the shots ultimately . As to whether or not i believed it was rig, sure, it was my decision. So is this statement from trump something that could be very useful to prosecutors . Sure, wolf. I think donald trump made some fundamental concessions here. The prosecutors are going to be very interested in. In that clip he acknowledges it was his decision to move forward and it was his intend to overturn the results of the election. The rest is consistent with Donald Trumps defense. I was getting certain piece of advice from some advisers, contradictory advice to other advisers, ultimately i relied on my gut. Every time he speaks in public, thats fair game for prosecutors, i suspect theyre watching and taking notes. I suspect youre right. Andrew, do you see this as potentially an admission from trump . Well, i dont know if its an admission of any specific illegal act, but it certainly goes to his acceptance of responsibility for making the decisions that ultimately led to this effort to try to overturn the election. Its also kind of consistent with the defense that weve heard his team float in the past, which is basically the i meant well defense. I really believed it, and therefore i was doing all of that he is things pursuant to my genuine belief that the election had been stolen. However, we know thats not actually a legal defense. If you commit violations of criminal law with the best intention, theyre still violations of criminal law. All he had to intend, that mental state that the prosecutors have to approve is he intended to do these acts, and i think the statement certainly adds to that argument. I suspect youre right as well. Mark meadows who was Trumps White HouseChief Of Staff lost his attempt to move his case to Federal Court. Given that, does Jeffrey Clark have a realistic chance of getting his case moved from state to Federal Court . Wolf, i think Jeffrey Clark has an extraordinary weak and problematic argument. Jeffrey clark has to prove he was acting in his scope as a senior doj official. The job of any doj official is to investigate in good faith, and act accordingly. What Jeffrey Clark did was opposite of that. He drafted a letter he wanted doj to send to various states, we found evidence of substantial fraud, that is a complete fab ri kags of Jeffrey Clark. If he was acting in his scope thats a dark day for doj, and Heaven Help Us all, and i think Jeffrey Clark is going to lose this mot