Trump’s former nationwide safety adviser, Robert C. O’Brien, the Biden administration for paying Iran $6 billion in ransom cash, saying it motivated Hamas to carry Individuals in Israel hostage on Saturday because it launched quite a lot of terrorist assaults throughout the nation.
“Whereas welcoming our hostages dwelling in Iran, I stated on the time that paying ransoms (for instance, releasing $6 billion) is an issue as a result of it incentivizes the taking of recent hostages and offers terrorists cash to launch new operations. “I didn’t suppose we’d see these factors Defined so clearly and so shortly,” O’Brien posted on X.
O’Brien served through the Trump administration as particular presidential envoy for hostage affairs from 2018 to 2019 and helped safe the discharge of American pastor Andrew Brunson from Turkey in 2018. He additionally helped safe the discharge of Danny Burch, an American oil employee in Turkey. Yemen.
O’Brien stated he known as on President Joe Biden on Saturday to deploy the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Workforce and Joint Particular Operations Command’s Hostage Extraction Forces to help Israel.
“We now know that Hamas has kidnapped (Americans),” O’Brien wrote. ““These groups should be flown into the world now to be able to rescue our residents.”
Whereas we welcomed our hostages dwelling in Iran, I stated on the time that paying ransoms (for instance, releasing $6 billion) was problematic as a result of it incentivized the taking of recent hostages and gave terrorists cash to launch new operations. I did not suppose we’d see these factors made so clearly and so shortly.
-Robert C. O’Brien (@robertcobrin) October 8, 2023
Earlier Sunday morning, Secretary of State Antony Blinken instructed NBC Information that the Biden administration was nonetheless “working very actively” to confirm reviews that Individuals had been amongst these killed in Israel and had been being held hostage.
“We’ve got seen reviews of hostages, and there, once more, we try exhausting to confirm them and decide that,” he stated.
He added: “Any American anyplace who’s detained or held hostage, that can be a precedence for this authorities, for this administration, and for me, however I don’t wish to go any additional than we have now. We’ve got reviews. We have to confirm them,” Blinken stated.
Later Sunday night, the Biden White Home hosted a workers barbecue the place a reside band may very well be heard enjoying, in keeping with the pool report.
Observe Christina Wong of Breitbart Information Twitter, Social truthor on Facebook.