WASHINGTON— Senator Bob Menendez, Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Representative Eliot L. Engel, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs today called for answers from the Trump Administration regarding reports that the U.S. government committed to paying $2 million to North Korea to secure the release of Otto Warmbier.
In a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, they wrote, “While we of course share a belief that every effort should be made to secure the release of American citizens being held hostage by foreign entities, we are also concerned that the way in which this matter was handled may have created additional complications for U.S. national security interests, both in our diplomacy with North Korea and on other matters where the lives and livelihood of U.S. citizens are at stake.”
Full text of the letter can be found here and below:
Dear Mr. Secretary:
We write with regard to recent press reports that the United States government allegedly committed in writing to pay $2 million to the Democratic Republic of North Korea to secure the release of Otto Warmbier in June 2017. We understand that Ambassador Bolton confirmed on Fox News Sunday on April 28, 2019 that the United States did indeed make a commitment to pay for Mr. Warmbier’s medical expenses, but that “no money was paid.”
The arrest, imprisonment, and death of Otto Warmbier are a clear indication of the cruel and depraved nature of the North Korean regime. While we of course share a belief that every effort should be made to secure the release of American citizens being held hostage by foreign entities, we are also concerned that the way in which this matter was handled may have created additional complications for U.S. national security interests, both in our diplomacy with North Korea and on other matters where the lives and livelihood of U.S. citizens are at stake.
While some information about this incident has now been released to the press, we still have a number of questions on which we would appreciate your prompt response by May 17, 2019.
Given the sensitive nature of the issue as well as on-going diplomacy with North Korea we are happy to take your response in either classified or unclassified format.
Sincerely,
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