~ Can’t Ya Just Be Happy For The Released and Their Families ~
Upon learning of the Biden Administration’s role in the ‘historic’ prisoner swap with Russia, which included, among 16 released by Russia, Evan Gershkovich – Wall Street Journal reporter; Paul Whelan – corporate security executive and former U.S. Marine; and Alsu Kurmasheva – Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reporter and dual U.S.-Russian citizen, convicted felon and size-obsessed former oval office occupant Donald Trump was quick to criticise President Biden by boasting that his own prisoner-swap deals were bigger and better deals.
On social media, Trump wrote:
“So when are they going to release the details of the prisoner swap with Russia? How many people do we get versus them? Are we also paying them cash? I got back many hostages, and gave the opposing Country NOTHING — and never any cash. To do so is bad precedent for the future.” More here.
Not surprising that he did the same when Biden negotiated the release of Brittney Griner, WNBA star player:
Trump called that a “one-sided disaster,” wrongly boasting that his administration “got 58 hostages released from various hostile countries without paying any money, or giving up anything.”
Hmmm… .
Multiple sources have fact-checked Trump’s claims; and thanks to something called technology, there happens to be easily-accessed verified records of what one has and has not written, spoken, posted, broadcast live – and presented for all the world to witness on amazing inventions called video recordings.
So, let’s take a look…
Fact check: Trump, who approved multiple prisoner exchanges, falsely claims he gave up ‘nothing’ to get Americans back
An Exchange With Iran: In 2019, the Trump administration secured the release of Xiyue Wang, a Princeton University PhD student who had been imprisoned in Iran since 2016, by agreeing to free an Iranian medical scientist who had been charged with trying to export biological materials from the US to Iran without authorization.
Trump acknowledged at the time that this was a prisoner exchange, telling reporters in 2019: “Yeah, we’re very happy to have our hostage back. The whole Princeton University community is very thrilled. And there was a one-on-one hostage swap.”
Federal prosecutors also dropped charges against the Iranian scientist’s two co-defendants soon after the prisoner exchange.
An Exchange With The Taliban: In 2019, three high-ranking Taliban prisoners, who had been imprisoned by the government of Afghanistan, were released in exchange for the Taliban freeing two professors, American Kevin King and Australian Timothy Weeks, who were abducted in 2016. Trump and the president of Afghanistan made clear that the Trump administration was involved in the deal; Trump wrote on social media when the deal was announced: “Proud of my team!”
An Exchange With Iran: In 2020, the Trump administration secured the release of Navy veteran Michael White, who had been imprisoned in Iran since 2018, by agreeing to free an Iranian-American doctor who had pleaded guilty to violating US sanctions on Iran by trying to export a medical device there without authorization.
Trump wrote on social media at the time: “Thank you to Iran, it shows a deal is possible!”
An Exchange With Iran-Backed Houthis: In 2020, the Trump administration secured the release of two Americans who were imprisoned by Iran-backed Houthi militants in Yemen, aid worker Sandra Loli and businessman Mikael Gidada, in exchange for the release of more than 200 Houthi militants who were being held in Oman. Those Houthis were allowed to return to Yemen.
An Attempted Exchange With Turkey: Trump said in August 2018 that he had personally gotten Israel to free a Turkish citizen who had been charged with aiding Hamas as part of an attempted arrangement in which Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan would release American pastor Andrew Brunson.
Erdogan did not do so immediately, prompting Trump to criticize him. Erdogan released Brunson in October 2018.
Trump tweeted upon the release that “there was NO DEAL made with Turkey” and added, “I don’t make deals for hostages,” but his administration had already made clear that they had thought earlier in the year that there had been a deal.
And then there’s this one:
Trump approved payment of $2 million North Korea bill for care of Warmbier: report
Reported By Reuters April 25, 2019
President Donald Trump approved payment of a $2 million bill presented by North Korea to cover its care of comatose American Otto Warmbier, a college student who died shortly after being returned home from 17 months in a North Korean prison, the Washington Post reported on Thursday.
The Post said an invoice was handed to State Department envoy Joseph Yun hours before Warmbier, 22, was flown out of Pyongyang in a coma on June 13, 2017. Warmbier died six days later.
Yun also told Reuters he could not comment on diplomatic exchanges. But in an interview with CNN on Thursday, he said he was given broad orders to secure Warmbier’s release and he understood the instructions came directly from Trump.
“Yes, my orders were completely: Do whatever you can to get Otto back,” he told CNN. Yun said he understood that money had been exchanged in previous releases of U.S. prisoners and was justified as “hospital costs,” but he gave no further details.
And this must be included:
Did the Trump administration agree to the release of 5,000 Taliban prisoners?
“Up to five thousand (5,000) prisoners of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan which is not recognized by the United States as a state and is known as the Taliban and up to one thousand (1,000) prisoners of the other side will be released by March 10, 2020,” the agreement said.
THE SOURCES
- U.S. Department of State
- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
- Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani
- Shuhail Shaheen, Taliban spokesperson in Qatar
- U.S. Congressional Research Service
- Council on Foreign Relations
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