the name given to a series of secret and illegal actions by US government officials under President Ronald Reagan . In 1985, officials in the National Security Council sold military weapons to Iran so it would help in freeing US prisoners in Lebanon. The money received for these was then given to the Contras, military groups who wanted to defeat the Sandinista government in Nicaragua. The US Congress had forbidden this type of support. The deal was discovered in 1986 and several officials were charged with acting illegally.
See also Irangate , North .