In 2011, Hussein's Press Sec. James Carney,  dodges question about known Iranian terrorist visiting White House. He also dodges the question as to whether or not the BO WH had performed a background check on Amiri:

"When Iraqi PM Nouri al-Maliki visited the White House this week, he brought his transportation minister, Hadi Farhan al-Amiri. During the rule of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, Amiri served as a commander of the Badr Corps – a group backed at the time by the IRGC (Iranian Revolutionary Guard), which has been linked to several attacks on western targets.  

Today at the White House press briefing, FOX News' Ed Henry asked White House press secretary Jay Carney about the visit and whether a background check was performed on him.Carney said he would have to check on that and wouldn't provide further details.  "

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2011/12/15/carney_dodges_question_about_iranian_terrorist_visiting_white_house.html

Amir appears to be a "bridge" between Iranian Regime/Revolutionary Guard & BO admin.

Jerusalem Post describes Iraq Former PM Maliki's close ties with Amir, and through Maliki (staunchly pro-Iranian) with BO's admin :

Under the Obama administration, and as part of an overall shift toward a policy more amenable to Iran’s role in the region, pro-Iranian strongman Nouri al-Maliki was welcomed as leader of Iraq. Even though he was a sectarian who alienated Sunni Arabs and Kurds and wrecked the Iraqi security forces, he was seen as Iraq’s hope for the future. Instead, his rule led to the rise of ISIS and collapse of Iraq.Maliki also worked closely with Amir, who became transport minister of Iraq from 2010 to 2014. Amir visited Washington in 2011. The Washington Times accused him at the time of having played a role in a 1996 attack in Saudi Arabia that killed 19 Americans. Fox News also reported at the time that Amir played a role in Iraq in 2006 when he met with the Quds Force in Iraq, and that elements meeting with Amir were detained briefly by US forces.Amir’s increasing role in Iraq was evident when he spoke with the publication Foreign Policy in 2014 at his “villa” inside the Green Zone. He said at the time he was transitioning back into fatigues for a role as a commander of the Popular Mobilization Units (PMU). He was among the most powerful figures in Iraq by that time. According to Eli Lake at Bloomberg, Amir was even giving orders to Iraqi Army units, and he regularly met with Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander Qasem Soleimani. " 

https://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Pompeo-names-Iraqi-Badr-militia-leader-Hadi-al-Amiri-as-Iranian-proxy-612751  

Finally, back in 2011, Ed Henry was a straight shooting journalist!