U.S. Agreed to Pay North Korea for Warmbier But Didn't, Bolton Says
Source: Bloomberg
(Bloomberg) -- The U.S. signed a document pledging to pay North Korea $2 million for the medical care of American student Otto Warmbier in return for his release but didnt follow through, National Security Adviser John Bolton said Sunday.
Thats what I am told, Bolton told correspondent Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday when asked whether the U.S. had signed the agreement, which would have occurred before Bolton joined the Trump administration in 2018. No money was paid. That is clear.
Warmbier, a University of Virginia student who was arrested for pulling down a sign in Pyongyang in January 2016, was sentenced to 15 years in prison. North Korea released Warmbier to the U.S. in 2017, at which point he was in a coma. He died days later.
The Washington Post reported last week that Pyongyang presented the U.S. with a $2 million medical bill before allowing Warmbier to be flown home. In a tweet Friday, President Donald Trump on Friday denied that the U.S. had paid that bill.
Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-agreed-to-pay-north-korea-for-warmbier-but-didnt-bolton-says/ar-BBWnh8v?li=BBnb7Kz
cstanleytech
(26,317 posts)Perseus
(4,341 posts)The only two problems are:
1. He should have asked permission from Congress before agreeing with North Korea the USA would pay the money.
2. It is our money and our reputation, the World already knows he is a crook.
Rhiannon12866
(205,857 posts)No big surprise.
keithbvadu2
(36,884 posts)Mixed emotions on this one.
Rocketman hornswoggled Dotard into the situation where Wambier died on Trump's watch.
America gave its word, no matter how outrageous the terms were, and broke its word.
jberryhill
(62,444 posts)If they promised to pay, but didnt, then I cant see how thats an improvement. Under what circumstances is the US to be trusted to honor its commitments?
JI7
(89,262 posts)JohnnyRingo
(18,640 posts)It's possible, but I'm not sure why they would unless they didn't want him to die on NK soil.
The problem Trump has now is no one knows when he's telling the truth. Bolton saying "that's what I was told" doesn't give confidence.
Jumpty
(15 posts)I don't believe Bolton.
gldstwmn
(4,575 posts)Perseus
(4,341 posts)These people are so immoral, so corrupt that I think they decided to tell the country that they did not pay the money they had agreed to, as if that lack of moral commitment makes things OK.
As I said before, they should have never agreed to pay anything without Congress permission, and it is the reputation of the USA they are playing with.
They may have paid the money, but as crooks always do, they lie saying they didn't because they think that is the better option.
These rats, these filthy rats have to be removed from office and must be thrown in the gutter where they belong.
More_Cowbell
(2,191 posts)Either he'll claim that North Korea *was* paid, or he'll do another missile test.
watoos
(7,142 posts)to hold this over Trump's head, aka blackmail.
watoos
(7,142 posts)to have the other hostages released and paid for the return of the remains of our Korean war vets?
William Seger
(10,779 posts)... to say.
yaesu
(8,020 posts)rocktivity
(44,577 posts)Don't forget that the the patient was WAY out of network
rocktivity
politicaljunkie41910
(3,335 posts)that the liability for the $2 Million dollars was still on the official government books a year ago. Now it appears to have disappeared. So if it wasn't paid, what happened to it? If there were never any plans to pay it, why was it put on the government books in the first place. It's not like L'il Kim inspects our federal log books on a regular basis. If they never planned to pay it, than they would have had no reason to enter it into the governments books as a liability due North Korea. Trump lies. Bolton lies. L'il Kim Lies. I don't trust any of them to tell the truth if their lives depends on it. And since none of their Lives are currently in jeopardy, they can say whatever they want to say, at any given moment, because only a handful of people would probably have direct knowledge of that information at any time, and regardless of the Truth, we can always count on Trump to lie ALL of the time.
brooklynite
(94,703 posts)no_hypocrisy
(46,160 posts)I don't believe there would have been even one Summit with Kim if that debt was/is still outstanding. If Kim plays hardball with missiles, you can't imagine he would be cool with "I'll pay you next Tuesday" with Trump.
jayfish
(10,039 posts)The two are made for each other.
Jumpty
(15 posts)Investigate what happened.
gopiscrap
(23,763 posts)I totally agree!
greblach
(257 posts)Hence no peace treaty, agreement, commitment or promise from tRump is worth anything...
EveHammond13
(2,855 posts)erpowers
(9,350 posts)If President Obama, or anyone in his administration had agreed to pay any dictator $2 million for the release of a prisoner the Republicans in Congress would have lost their minds. They would not be worried about whether or not the administration had gone through with paying the money.
So much for Donald Trump being such a great negotiator. Has any other President, or administration agreed to pay a ransom to get Americans released from a country?
maxsolomon
(33,384 posts)Kim's the only person he's every welched on that deserved it.