Office of the Press Secretary
|
NOMINATIONS SENT TO THE SENATE:
J. Brett Blanton, of Virginia, to be Architect of the Capitol for the term of ten years, vice Stephen T. Ayers. Finch Fulton, of Alabama, to be an Assistant Secretary of Transportation, vice Carlos A. Monje, Jr. James E. McPherson, of Virginia, to be Under Secretary of the Army, vice Ryan McCarthy, resigned. |
Monday, December 9, 2019
NOMINATIONS SENT TO THE SENATE
West Wing Reads ‘No Wonder Democrats Are Doing Their Best to Ensure That All the Headlines Are About Impeachment’
|
Statement from the Press Secretary
Office of the Press Secretary
|
Statement from the Press Secretary
President Donald J. Trump called on Congress in May to end surprise medical billing and delivered his principles to Capitol Hill. The Administration applauds the bipartisan efforts of House and Senate members since then to move toward ending an unfair practice that causes confusion and concern for millions of Americans. This compromise reflects the input of doctors and hospitals and is the result of months of delicate work to reach a deal among congressional members and the White House that protects patients. Americans should not be surprised with huge medical bills when they are most vulnerable. We are hopeful Congress will focus on this important issue and act this year and send legislation to the President to sign into law.
|
Sunday, December 8, 2019
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP AT THE ISRAELI AMERICAN COUNCIL NATIONAL SUMMIT 2019 The Diplomat Beach Resort Hollywood Hollywood, Florida
Office of the Press Secretary
|
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT TRUMP
AT THE ISRAELI AMERICAN COUNCIL NATIONAL SUMMIT 2019 The Diplomat Beach Resort Hollywood Hollywood, Florida
(December 7, 2019)
8:45 P.M. EST THE PRESIDENT: Well, thank you very much. And thank you to Miriam. Thank you. (Applause.) She's so cute, she said, "I didn’t finish my speech. What should I do?" I said, "Go ahead and finish it. Don’t worry about it." (Laughter.) Don’t let a little music get in your way. And it was a beautiful speech. That was a beautiful speech. Thank you both. These are great people, and they love Israel. (Applause.) And I have to say, on behalf of everyone here today, I want to thank Miriam and Sheldon for the extraordinary commitment they make to fostering an unbreakable bond between the United States and Israel. It's unbreakable. Unbreakable. (Applause.) Each of you in this room tonight is a national treasure. Just remember that too. (Applause.) Before continuing, I also want to express our profound support to our entire nation for the victims of the evil and barbaric attack at the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. Our hearts break for the families who lost their precious loved ones in this atrocity. Another atrocity. We send the urgent prayers of all Americans. During times of pain, Americans always stand together and never leave each other’s side. We do best under pressure. Today, I'm here to talk about how peace-loving nations can work together to build a future of greater security, prosperity, and hope for our children and generations to come. I'd like to begin by saying how truly thrilled I am to become the President of the United States and to address the fastest-growing Jewish organization in the nation: the Israeli American Council. Thank you. Great job. (Applause.) Great job. Fastest-growing in the nation. Wow, that's big stuff. (Laughter.) But I know some of the people in this audience. Many of you I know, and I'm not surprised to hear that. Thank you for the invitation to address you today, and congratulations to your outstanding Chief Executive Officer, Shoham Nicolet -- Shoham, thank you -- (applause) -- as well as your entire leadership, and all of those incredible people that work so hard: Naty Saidoff. Naty? Where are you, Naty? Thank you. Thank you very much. Great job. And Shawn Evenhaim. (Laughter.) Thank you. I don't know if that was good, but not bad. (Laughter.) We wanted to put a little extra spin on it. Thank you, Shawn. Great job. We're also grateful to be joined by a group of incredible people that are with you all the way: a friend of mine, a man who's done a fantastic job for this country, Secretary Ben Carson. Ben? Where are you, Ben? (Applause.) Ben. Thank you, Ben. Incredible job. And we have two warriors, and they are congressmen, and they're fighting all the time and they're defending our country, defending your President against oppression. That's what it is. And our poll numbers keep going up. You'll explain that to me. (Applause.) But they are indeed warriors. Congressman Jim Jordan, Congressman Michael Waltz. Please, stand up. (Applause.) And we have a lot of politicians here tonight, but I have to ask a man that happens to be a truly brilliant young man. I'm a little bit prejudice when I say that. But he loves Israel and he's fighting hard for Israel. He wants to make peace with your neighbors. And a lot of people say that can't be done. A lot of people say it can't be done; it's the hardest of all deals. I love deals, and I used to hear the toughest of all deals is peace with Israel and the Palestinians. They say that's the toughest of all deals. But if Jared Kushner can't do it, it can't be done. (Applause.) Thank you, Jared. Thank you, Jared. Incredible job he's doing. He wants to see that. And he loves Israel -- that, I can tell you. And we're delighted to have with us President Juan Orlando Hernandez of Honduras and the First Lady of Honduras. (Applause.) And I have to tell you -- thank you, sir -- that President Hernandez is working with the United States very closely. You know what's going on on our southern border. And we're winning after years and years of losing. We're stopping drugs at a level that has never happened. Unfortunately, the drugs become worse; they become bigger quantities. You have no idea what's happening. They're being smuggled in from all parts of the world. But we've never had anything like it. And we're building a wall. Now we're up to almost 100 miles. (Applause.) And we're getting a lot of support not only from Honduras but from Guatemala, from El Salvador. We're getting tremendous support from Mexico. Mexico has got some difficult problems, as you know, but they are really helping us. And the President of Mexico has become a friend of mine, and he's working hard. Right now, we have 27,000 Mexican soldiers on our southern border telling people, "You can't come in." You know that, right? It's a good job they're doing. (Applause.) So thank you. And thank you, Mr. President, Madam. Thank you very much for coming. Let me also extend my deep appreciation to Israel’s Ambassador to the United States, a great gentleman and a friend of mine: Ron Dermer. (Applause.) Ron Dermer. Ron, thank you. Known you a long time, Ron, haven’t I? Huh? Long before this. Thanks as well to Florida Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis. Thank you, Jimmy. (Applause.) Thank you, Jimmy. Thank you. Great job. Florida -- (applause). Wow, got a good fan club. Florida Senate President Bill Galvano. (Applause.) Thank you, Bill. Majority Leader of the Florida House Dane Eagle. Thank you, Dane. (Applause.) And Chairman of the Florida Republican Party Joe Gruters. Thank you, Joe. Great job. How we doing, Joe? I think we're doing pretty well, Joe. Right? Tells me we're leading in every poll. We're doing better than we did on Election Night. But you know what? We'll take Election Night. It was just fine. (Applause.) Somebody said we're way ahead. And I said, "Let's just win by one vote. That's okay too." (Laughter.) No, we're way ahead. We're doing good. We're all doing good together. I also want to recognize the Israeli Shalva Band for their amazing performance tonight. (Applause.) You're going to hear them again in a couple of minutes. I want to thank you very much. That was a great performance. Millions of people watched their terrific appearance at Eurovision earlier this year. They were incredible, and they are an inspiration to the entire world. And thank you very much. They're going to be back. They're going to be back. (Applause.) This is truly an extraordinary time for America. Our economy is booming like never before, and our people are thriving. (Applause.) You saw what happened yesterday. It was announced that 266,000 jobs were added in November. (Applause.) And that shattered all expectations. They were thinking about 70,000. They were thinking about 90,000 -- which isn’t so bad. Two hundred and sixty-six thousand. Plus, they corrected previous months, and you could add that to it. Plus, we created 50,000 manufacturing jobs. Remember the previous administration? "You need a magic wand." Well, we're doing great with manufacturing. We're bringing manufacturing back. If you don’t have manufacturing, what do you have? Not a lot of good things. But we're bringing manufacturing back. We've created 7 million new jobs since the election. And if I would have said that before, or if I would have said that during the campaign, the fake-news media would have gone crazy. They would have said that's not possible. AUDIENCE: Booo -- THE PRESIDENT: Nearly 160 million Americans are now working. That's the highest ever recorded in the history of our country. We've never had so many people working. (Applause.) Unemployment has reached the lowest level in half a century. America is winning again, America is respected again. America is winning and respected, frankly, like never before. It's happened. (Applause.) Now, it's truly my honor to be here this evening to celebrate our progress to deepen the incredible partnership between the United States and Israel. And it suffered very gravely in the last administration. I don't know if you know that. So many of you voted for people in the last administration. Someday you'll have to explain that to me, because I don’t think they liked Israel too much. I'm sorry. (Applause.) I don’t think they liked Israel too much. After eight long years in which our alliance was undermined and neglected, I am happy to report that the United States-Israeli relationship is stronger now than ever before. (Applause.) America and Israel are woven together by history, heritage, and the hearts of our people. We share a love of freedom, democracy, religious liberty, the rule of law, and national sovereignty. And we share that. The story of Israel is a tale of triumph in the face of centuries of oppression and persecution. The Jewish people endured, persevered, and flourished beyond measure, building a thriving, proud, beautiful, and mighty nation in the Holy Land. The friendship between our countries is essential to achieving a more safe, just, and peaceful world. That is why every single day since I took the Oath of Office, I have stood firmly, strongly, and proudly with the people of Israel. You know that. (Applause.) The Jewish State has never had a better friend in the White House than your President, Donald J. Trump. (Applause.) That, I can tell you. For over 20 years, every previous President promised to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. And they never acted, they never did it. They never had any intention of doing it, in my opinion. (Applause.) But unlike other politicians, I kept my promises. Two years ago this week, I officially recognized Israel’s true and eternal capital, and we opened the American Embassy in Jerusalem, finally. (Applause.) And, you know, that's an interesting story because David Friedman -- do you know David Friedman, our great Ambassador? Well, David was one of the most successful lawyers in New York; maybe the most successful lawyer in New York. But he loves Israel. He loves this country, but he loves Israel. And I said -- called him. I know how much he feels about, you know, the heart. He'd go there all the time. I'd say, "David, would you like to be the ambassador to Israel? You're giving up a lot. You're giving up one of the great practices in New York City. Would you like it?" It took him about two seconds to say, "Yes, that's what I want to do." And he gave up his law practice. (Applause.) He gave up a lot of great clients. He became the ambassador. And a lot of conflict was taking place. A lot of bad feelings, a lot of bad will. We have to get the people of our country, of this country, to love Israel more. I have to tell you that. We have to do it. We have to get them to love Israel more. Because you have people that are Jewish people, that are great people -- they don't love Israel enough. You know that. You know that. (Applause.) But David Friedman is not one of them. And he went to Israel and immediately made an impact. And then I said, "You know, I want to do what no President has done. Many, many Presidents said they were going to move the embassy to Jerusalem. And they never did it." And I understand why they never did it. They never did it because when they thought I was going to do it, and when they heard that I was going to make an announcement in two weeks, I started getting calls from everyone. I got calls from presidents. I got calls from prime ministers. I got calls from kings and queens. I got calls from everyone. (Laughter.) "Don't do it. Don't do it, please." Don't do it. It will be terrible if you do it. It will be horrible if you do it." And I heard this from many people. And then the time came closer and closer, and I did something that was smart, because I learned then and there -- for that two-week period, I was inundated -- I learned why other Presidents, in all fairness to them, why they made the campaign promise but why they never got it off: Because they were besieged by foreign leaders. The top, the biggest people in the world called them. You wouldn't believe how many; some countries you never even heard of were calling. (Laughter.) I said, "What's that country all about?" (Laughter.) And about a week and a half out, I said, "Listen, tell these people I'm going to call them back. I'm so busy." (Laughter and applause.) True. I said, "Tell them I'm going to call them back. I'll get to them as soon as I can." And one week went by, and then three days went by, and then I made the announcement at the White House that we're moving the embassy to Jerusalem and that Jerusalem will be the capital of Israel. Finally, somebody said it. Right? (Applause.) And it was a big deal, and it was great. And a day went by, and a second day went by, and there was no violence. I heard there was going to be massive violence. They showed violence -- because about 20 people were violent in the front row, but there was nobody behind them. So CNN had the cameras very low, pointing to the sky. It's true. (Laughter and applause.) It's true. They said, "Massive crowds have gathered. Massive crowds." And I looked, I said, "That's a strange angle. I've never seen that angle." (Laughter.) It was like -- you had a cameraman sitting on the floor pointing up. But every once in a while, you say, "There's nobody behind the people in the front row. What's going on?" (Laughter.) And it was a con. It was fake news as usual. So these days went by, and then I made the phone calls. And I'd call up the kings and I'd call up the queens, and I'd call up everybody -- the presidents, the prime ministers. I'd say, "Hi, I'm sorry, I couldn't get back to you quickly" -- (laughter) -- "but what's up?" (Laughter and applause.) "What's up?" And they said -- AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Well, I learned all these tricks from Sheldon. So, you know. (Laughter.) So I call: "Hi, King. What's up? What's happening?" (Laughter.) He said, "I wanted to tell you I didn't like you doing that with Israel." "Oh, man! I wish I called you back a little sooner. I'm sorry." (Laughter.) Call a president: "What's up, President?" "I wanted to tell you not to do that, sir. But you've done it." What can I -- "Yeah, I wish -- you know, I wish I could have gotten you sooner, but I'm so busy." (Laughter.) I took about 40 of those calls. Right? Everyone was the same: "I wanted to tell you…" I said, "But, you know, in the meantime, it opened and it was, you know, really pretty amazing." It was done. We did the deal. Then we had a problem: We had to build it. And I'm a builder. I'm really a good builder. I really probably do that the best. (Applause.) Some people said, "Are you a better builder or a better politician?" And I thought I was going to say "builder," because I really was good, you know? I built good. And then I said to myself, "Well, let's see: I was a good builder. I was very successful. I did a great job. Know how to build." But then I got into politics. And I only ran once, and I became President, so I guess I'm a better politician. (Applause.) I don't know. Maybe I'm a better politician. I don't know, maybe I'm a better politician. I don't know. But I'm a good builder. So we now have the designation. And one of the generals -- good general -- came in front of me: "Sir, would you please sign this order?" And, you know, in the United States, plenty of money. This is the most beautiful orders you've ever seen. You know, I'm used to signing just like a piece of paper. But now you have these gorgeous books that are solid leather, and everything is leather, leather, leather. Beautiful. Everything is beautiful. These are like notes that don't even mean anything to me. I don't use them. (Laughter.) Like, look at that. Isn’t that beautiful? I'm used to getting a piece of paper. But this is -- this is the way they do. So they bring in this gorgeous folder, twice the size of that. I said, "What is this?" "Sir, this is for the embassy in Israel." I said, "Well, we just announced it, so what is it for?" "We're looking for land, but this is a commitment to spend $2 billion." I said, "Two billion?" It's like a one-story building, right? (Laughter.) "So we're looking for land, and we have some locations that we think are very good, but it's very expensive in Jerusalem, sir. But we have the right to go up to $2 billion, sir." And I had the first name; I had "Donald" signed. Then I heard it was 2 billion for the embassy, and I stopped signing it. (Laughter.) And I called David Friedman. I said, "David, I need some help. I just approved an embassy, and they want to spend $2 billion to build the embassy. And I know what that means: You're never going to get it built. It'll take years and years." I said, "You know what's going on here? They're looking at terrible locations." There are no good locations. You know why? Because we had the best already. We were there first, right? We were there early, with you. He said, "You know, but could you give me two days, sir? I'd like to take a look and see." So he calls me back two days later. So we're going to spend 2 billion, and one of them was going to buy a lousy location. A lot of you are in the real estate business because I know you very well. You're brutal killers. (Laughter.) Not nice people at all. But you have to vote for me; you have no choice. You're not going to vote for Pocahontas, I can tell you that. (Laughter and applause.) You're not going to vote for the wealth tax. "Yeah, let's take 100 percent of your wealth away." No, no. Even if you don't like me; some of you don’t. Some of you I don't like at all, actually. (Laughter.) And you're going to be my biggest supporters because you'll be out of business in about 15 minutes, if they get it. So I don’t have to spend a lot of time on that. But David calls me back and he goes, "Sir" -- he always used to call me "Donald." Now he can't help but call me "President." I said, "David, call me 'Donald.'" "Yes, yes, Mr. President. I can't do it, sir." That's respect for the office, right? Maybe it's respect for me. But I've known him a long time. He goes, "Mr. President, I don't feel…" -- I have many friends like that. Richard LeFrak. Steve Roth. Steve Wynn. He calls "Mr. President." He always called me "Donald." And they always returned my call immediately upon the call being made. They used to take a day, a half a day. (Laughter.) Now I call back: "Give me Steve Wynn, please." "He's on the phone." (Laughter.) They're great people. But David calls: "Mr. President, I have good news." "What's the good news? Tell me. I need some good news. I got people trying to impeach me." (Laughter.) Don't forget, this has been going on for three years. This is before -- I think maybe before I started coming down on the escalator with that beautiful First Lady. Is she an incredible First Lady? (Applause.) Think of it: I'm coming down the escalator, and people behind my back are trying to do a subversion of government. Think of that. That's what it's about. And we have -- by the way, before -- Jim Jordan, please stand up. Michael Waltz, please stand up. Congressmen. Michael. Jim. Warriors. (Applause.) I don't know if you have any other warriors in here, congressmen, but they are warriors. Support them. (Applause.) Support them. Support them. So the Ambassador calls up -- Ambassador Friedman -- goes, "Sir, I have good news." "What?" By this time, you know, it's two days, so I'm thinking I'm on to the next subject. Dealmakers know what I'm talking. I'm like already on to the next. "What?" He said, "You know, you asked me to check on the embassy in Jerusalem. Well, we already own a site that's much better than any site that's ever going to be bought. It's bigger, better, has better views. It's the best site in Jerusalem. And we can have setbacks, everything else." He said, "I have more good news, sir. There's already a building on it." (Laughter.) "And we can take that building and renovate it." I said, "No kidding. That sounds good to me." I love renovation. Because if you're smart, renovation costs you much less. If you're stupid, it costs you much more. (Laughter.) You ever hear these guys? "Oh, it's more expensive to renovate a building." How do you figure that? You have a frame? You have the walls on the exterior built? I mean, how does it cost you more? If you're stupid, it costs you more. (Laughter.) But David is smart. So he calls me. So they were going to do $2 billion, right? So David calls: "We have the biggest site, the best site. It's already there. It's a building. It's mostly not occupied. And, sir, we could redo it I think for $200,000." (Applause.) And it's the first time in my life I've ever said this: I said, "David, that's too cheap. It doesn't even sound good. You got to go more." Usually, I'm trying to cut price. But for 200,000, I said, "What the hell kind of a -- David, make it like 500,000. We'll do it for half a million." (Laughter.) And then I have a friend, Ron Baron -- nice guy. You know Ron Baron? He's a wealthy guy. He's in a beautiful building, and his office has a wall, opposite the elevators, going into his 40th story, 50th story of this office building. Very successful guy. He's got Jerusalem stone. Did anybody ever hear -- Jerusalem stone? And he drives me crazy. Every time I go to his office, he says, "Look at the Jerusalem stone." He's been saying it. I said, "Ron, you've told me that 10 times." But I've heard "Jerusalem stone" for 10, 15 years, right? "Look at it, Donald." I'm getting off the elevator. I said, "Ron, I've seen a lot of stone." "But this is Jerusalem." It comes from Jerusalem. So I say to David, "David, let me ask you a question. Jerusalem stone. Let's do the whole damn building in Jerusalem stone." (Applause.) Huh? You got so much Jerusalem stone. I said, "Is it available, David" He said, "We have so much we don't know what the hell to do with it." (Laughter.) So he has a wall opposite the elevators -- rich guy. And I got a whole damn building made out of Jerusalem stone. (Laughter and applause.) True. So the end of the story is this: I say, "David, let's go." He calls me up in three months. He said, "Sir, the building is just about done." I said, "Good. How much?" "Less than $500,000. It's all Jerusalem stone. We have an opening." No, but think of this. Think of this, right? So we're going to spend $2 billion. It wouldn't be built, Sheldon, for 10 years, fif- -- don't forget: At some point, whether it's 5 years from now, 9 years from now, 13 years from now -- I'm doing this to drive the media crazy. (Applause.) Because a lot of them say, "You know he's not leaving, don't you?" One of these characters -- these people are so stupid. One of them said -- one of them said, "You know he's going to win, don't you? And you know, at the end of his second term, you know he's not leaving. He's not leaving. You know that." And I thought he's a comedian. I thought he was kidding. He's for real. So now we have to start thinking about that, because it's not a bad idea. (Applause.) No, but these people are going crazy. When they all scream, "Four more years, four more years," I always say, "Make it 12 years and you'll drive them crazy." Twelve more years. But if I don’t get the build- -- AUDIENCE: Twelve more years! THE PRESIDENT: (Laughs.) But if I don't get the building built, it's never going to get built because you're going to have some guy like Obama or Crooked Hillary. AUDIENCE: Booo -- THE PRESIDENT: By the way, could you imagine Crooked Hillary Clinton telling -- I'm telling you a story of what happened, right? We were going to spend billions to build this embassy, and we built it for less than 500,000 bucks in a better location that we already own. We were there a long time ago, had it a long time. Could you imagine her saying, "Let's see if we can build it for $493,000 instead of $2 billion"? Okay, number one, it would have never been designated; it wouldn't have happened. So she wouldn't have to worry about building it because it would have never happened. But I am honored to say that we went there, we cut the ribbon. The building is totally gorgeous. Maybe someday you'll build a new one. I wouldn't advise it. I'd say fix it up and do a job. But you've got a beautiful embassy. It's in Jerusalem, and you have something that you've always wanted. It was a great, great day. (Applause.) And to support Israel's security, I've also recognized Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. (Applause.) And that was another thing that was going to take -- every President said that also, not with the same aptitude and not with the same strength of what they were saying about Jerusalem and the capital, but they were all talking about Golan Heights. It's been worked on for exactly 52 years. People would have summits over the Golan Heights. They'd fly in, they'd stay for two days. They'd negotiate. Leaders of countries -- for 52 years they'd do this. They'd have summits every two, three years, talk about the Golan Heights. I said to David, "David, tell me about the Golan Heights in 30 seconds or less." He said, "It's high. It's important. It's sovereign, it's security." And I said, "What do you think, David?" He said, "I think you could do it. I can't believe you're even asking me this question. Where did you come up with this idea?" "I said I've been hearing about it for years." Fifty-two years, and I get "bing" -- and we did it. It was done. (Applause.) It was done. And as Israel has endured the new wave of rocket attacks in recent weeks, my administration has made clear that America supports Israel's absolute right to self-defense. (Applause.) We've also called for the release of Israeli hostages and the return of the remains of Israeli soldiers captured by Hamas terrorists in Gaza. (Applause.) And this evening, as you probably heard, we're honored to be joined by Rachelle Fraenkel and Bat-Galim Shaer -- two mothers of Israeli boys who were kidnapped and murdered by Hamas terrorists in 2014. Rachelle and Bat-Galim have responded to that terrible evil with courage and inspiration. They've established an award to recognize leaders who advance unity among Israelis of all backgrounds and religions, striving to build a more secure and hopeful future for us all. So, Rachelle and Bat-Galim, we cannot fathom your grief, but we will honor the sacred memory of your sons forever. Thank you very much. (Applause.) Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much. To combat these wicked extremist organizations, I signed legislation to withhold U.S. taxpayer dollars from the Palestinian Authority until they stop rewarding terrorists with blood money. (Applause.) Another thing that no other administration would do -- I would say to them -- I went back and spoke to negotiators, because for years and years, they've been trying to make this deal. I said, "Did you ever hold back the money?" They said, "No, why? We didn't think it was right to do." I said, "I do." (Laughter.) "I do." So we don't pay anything anymore. And we look forward to the day when we can help out. But right now, if they're going to say bad things about us, if they're going to do evil acts, we're not paying it. And that's the way it is. That's the way it is. (Applause.) It's a lot of money. Almost $600 million a year. So we withhold it. And hopefully we'll work a deal and everybody will be happy. But I don't know how the hell you negotiate a deal when you're paying them money. How did that happen, Sheldon? Who was negotiating that deal, Sheldon? It wasn't you, I can tell you. (Laughter.) That was one of my first things. I said, "How do you do that? You have this deal, you're paying hundreds of millions of dollars, and they're saying bad things." No, that's not the way. They're not the only country I've done that to. We've done that to numerous countries. Across the Middle East, my administration has made historic progress to crush the depraved and sinister forces of radical Islamic terrorism. (Applause.) When I took office three years ago, ISIS controlled more than 20,000 square miles in Iraq and Syria. That's the equivalent of the state of Ohio, in size. Today, the ISIS caliphate has been 100 percent obliterated. One hundred percent. (Applause.) And just a few weeks ago, U.S. Special Forces -- incredible soldiers -- brought the world's number-one most wanted terrorist to justice. The monstrous animal known as al-Baghdadi, the founder and leader of ISIS, is dead. (Applause.) AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA! THE PRESIDENT: Never again will this savage killer hurt another man, woman, or child. You saw the men in the orange jumpsuits with somebody behind them -- a savage with a knife -- and they chopped off their head. That was al-Baghdadi. That was al-Baghdadi's people. And a lot of people died that way, and they died a lot of other ways too. And he died a rough way. And these soldiers, 68 of them, they jumped off those helicopters. And I watched it. It was incredible. I literally was able to watch it because of what we can do technologically. I watched it, and it was an incredible sight. They jumped off long before those helicopters were anywhere near to the ground. Michael would understand that very much because he was a great soldier. But they jumped off those helicopters -- (applause) --and they charged that house, and the enemy didn't have any idea what the hell hit him. It was incredible, actually, to see. (Applause.) Incredible. Our message to the bloodthirsty terrorist is clear: You don't stand a chance against the awesome power of the United States military. I have rebuilt the United States military. (Applause.) When I took it over, it was depleted. It was old. We had fighter jets that were 50 years old. It was old, it was tired. Now we have spent two and a half trillion dollars on rebuilding our military. And we have a military that's the most advanced, the most powerful, by far, of any in the world. (Applause.) Two and a half trillion dollars. We rebuilt our military. My administration is also confronting the world's number-one state of terror. You know who that is: your state sponsor of terror, the brutal dictatorship in Iran. And I said to Sheldon -- I said to Sheldon, "What do you think was bigger? Israel and -- if you look, what was the bigger thing: Israel and the embassy going in, and it became Jerusalem, the capital of Israel? Or the Golan Heights?" He said, "Neither." I said, "What do you mean 'neither,' Sheldon?" He said, "The biggest thing you did for Israel was breaking up and terminating the horrible, one-sided, catastrophic deal that was made by President Obama." (Applause.) Right? I said, "I never thought of it that way, Sheldon, but I agree with you. If you want to know the truth, I agree with you." We paid $150 billion to Iran; 1.8 billion in cash. We got nothing. But that's a different country today. That doesn't mean they're going to come out and hit. And they might, and they might not. But they have riots all over their country. They don't have money. We put sanctions on them; the strongest sanctions ever imposed on a country. And let's see what happens. (Applause.) Their GDP went down 25 percent this year. Twenty-five. Nobody has ever even heard of that. So we'll see. And you know what? We can never give them a nuclear weapon. We can never do that. We can never do that. (Applause.) But maybe we'll be able to make a deal. The regime funds violence and chaos and mayhem throughout the region, but the greatest victims are its own people. In recent weeks, we've seen the Iranian people rising up to reclaim the noble destiny of their nation. In response, the dictatorship has killed hundreds and hundreds and probably thousands of those people. Probably thousands. You know they turned off the Internet. There's no Internet. There's no form of communication. I believe thousands of people have been killed. Thousands and thousands of people have been arrested. America will always stand with the Iranian people in their righteous struggle for freedom. (Applause.) The Iranian regime routinely traffics in the most toxic and heinous anti-Semitism. You know that better than anybody. Last year, the country's Supreme Leader, as they call him, said Israel is a malignant cancerous tumor that has to be removed and eradicated from the face of the Earth. AUDIENCE: Booo -- THE PRESIDENT: We must never allow a regime that chants "Death to America" or "Death to Israel" to obtain a nuclear weapon. That's all we can say. (Applause.) And it's for this reason that I withdrew the United States from that disastrous Iran nuclear deal and implemented those sanctions, which are so biting and so tough. We're also working to free hostages unjustly detained around the world, including in Iran. This morning, you probably read and probably saw, I announced that Xiyue, an American citizen and Princeton University grad student imprisoned in Iran for three years during the Obama administration, taken during the Obama administration -- was not a spy, by the way -- is coming home. (Applause.) Throughout history, anti-Semitism has produced untold pain, suffering evil, and destruction. We must not ignore the vile poison or those who spread its venomous creed. My administration is committed to aggressively challenging and confronting anti-Semitic bigotry in every resource, and using every single weapon at our disposal. Roughly 80 times, this past decade, the United Nations Human Rights Council has denounced Israel while ignoring many of the worst human rights abuses anywhere in the world. To call out this egregious hypocrisy, I withdrew the United States from the U.N. Human Rights Council. (Applause.) Recently, the European Union Court of Justice has also tried to discriminate against products made in Israeli settlements, advancing the agenda of anti-Israeli Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, or commonly known as BDS. AUDIENCE: Booo -- THE PRESIDENT: You know all about it. You know all about it, right? My administration has now corrected a longstanding injustice by officially declaring that international law does not prohibit civilian settlements in the West Bank. (Applause.) And as President, I want to be very clear my administration vigorously condemns the BDS campaign against Israel. (Applause.) But sadly, BDS has also made disturbing headway on American college campuses. You know that, don't you? Here with us today is Adela Cojab, a recent graduate of New York University, who courageously stood for Israel in the face of hostility and bigotry. Incredible hostility and incredible bigotry. Adela, would you please come up and quickly, or not quickly -- any way you want -- share your story. Please come up. Thank you. (Applause.) MS. COJAB: Thank you. My name is Adela Cojab. And six months ago, I took legal action against NYU only two weeks before graduation. (Applause.) My university failed to protect its Jewish community from ongoing harassment, from attacks on social media, to resolutions on student government, to boycotts, flag burnings, and physical assault. The physical assaults ended in two arrests, and the university didn't stand idly. Instead, they gave an anti-Israel hate group the President Service Award, the highest honor you can receive as a group on campus. AUDIENCE: Booo -- MS. COJAB: I was notified my case was accepted by the Department of Education, and an investigation has been launched against NYU for failure to protect this community. (Applause.) To all of the students in the audience today, don't be afraid to stand up, because you deserve better. (Applause.) And as an immigrant myself from Mexico City, I am extremely thankful to live in a country where the Office of Civil Rights takes the concerns of Jewish students seriously. (Applause.) Thank you, Mr. President, and thank you all for supporting the work that we do on campus. (Applause.) THE PRESIDENT: Thank you, Adela. Thank you very much, Adela. Shockingly, a number of far-left members of Congress have also recently joined the international effort to bully, attack, and denigrate Israel. And it's incredible what's been happening with your Congress. Ten years ago, it was unthinkable. Six years ago, it was pretty unthinkable. And now, to see what's going on and to watch Nancy Pelosi and these people be pushed around is unbelievable. AUDIENCE: Booo -- THE PRESIDENT: Earlier this year, a number of prominent Democrat lawmakers sponsored legislation to support the BDS movement. You know that, right? Outrageously, the resolution compared boycotting Israel to boycotting Nazi Germany, a grave insult to the memory of the 6 million Jews who were murdered in the Holocaust. You remember that, don't you, where this was just put before Congress. This is different. This is different than what it was. This couldn't have happened 10 years ago; couldn't have happened. Twenty years ago, it would have been impossible. Ten years ago, it would have been impossible. You've got to be very careful. Make no mistake: Radical lawmakers who support the BDS movement are advancing anti-Israel and anti-Semitic propaganda. And Americans will not stand for it. We're not going to stand for it. (Applause.) We've also seen far-left members of Congress proliferate dangerous anti-Semitic rhetoric. You've seen it. It's rhetorically and morally unacceptable. One lawmaker even wrote that Israel has hypnotized the world, and said, "Support for Israel is all about the Benjamins." You heard that. AUDIENCE: Booo -- THE PRESIDENT: And I'll be honest: That's one of the nicer statements. Far worse. She said far worse than that, and so did others in Congress. My administration strongly opposes this despicable rhetoric. And as long as you're -- and I am standing before you, as long as I'm your President, it makes no difference. It's not happening. Okay? It stops at my desk. (Applause.) I said in my State of the Union Address last year, "With one voice, we must confront this hatred anywhere and everywhere that it occurs." We're grateful to be joined tonight by our new Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, Elan Carr. (Applause.) Elan, please come up and say a few words. Elan, please. Thank you. MR. CARR: Thank you, Mr. President. (Applause.) And thank you for making the fight against anti-Semitism what you always call the "vile poison of anti-Semitism." That's exactly what it is. Thank you for making this fight a top priority for our country. (Applause.) My friends, these past few weeks point to the breadth of the work that we're doing. I recently returned from Germany, where I met with leading law enforcement and justice officials from seven separate German states to coordinate our efforts to prosecute and punish anti-Semitic hate crimes. In that same trip, I was in London and I addressed an audience in the British Parliament about rising anti-Semitism in that country. And then -- and then in Paris, in Paris we worked together with parliamentarians to advance a bill to adopt the formal international Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of anti- Semitism. And I want to thank the French National Assembly for passing that by a two-thirds margin. (Applause.) And during those same weeks, I was on interagency phone calls and conferences with Washington to address the appalling anti-Semitism rising on college campuses, as we just heard, across America and across the world. These are only the most recent examples of the multi-front battle we're waging. At the President's direction, we are simultaneously confronting far-right ethnic supremacy, radical-left Israel hatred, and militant Islam. And with the Trump administration's continued leadership, I'm hopeful that we will roll back this rise in anti-Semitism, both here at home and abroad. Thank you all for your partnership in this vital work. Thank you, Mr. President, for everything you are doing to fight anti-Semitism, to protect the Jewish people throughout the world, and to support the State of Israel. We are in your debt. Thank you so much. (Applause.) AUDIENCE: Four more years! Four more years! THE PRESIDENT: Thank you very much. Thank you very much. Thank you, Elan. From America's earliest days, Jewish citizens have made some of the greatest and most extraordinary contributions to American life and culture. Jewish Americans have fought, bled, and died at every major American war dating back to our struggle for independence. On this very morning, 78 years ago, more than 2,000 Americans were killed in the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Three days after that attack, a Jewish American airman from Brooklyn, Master Sergeant Meyer Levin, was among the first Americans to bomb a Japanese warship. Sergeant Levin went on to fly in more than 60 harrowing missions in World War Two. A great hero. In 1943, he volunteered for another dangerous mission. On his way back, he and his crew were caught in a violent storm, and their plane began to stall. Sergeant Levin's final act was one of selfless sacrifice. He unfastened the life raft and gave it to his fellow airmen. As they jumped out of the crashing plane, he shouted, "I hope you make it. I hope you make it." Three American airmen survived that day because of Sergeant Levin's extraordinary valor. One of those brave airmen was his friend, Jack Matisoff, also a Jewish American from Brooklyn. Jack went on to complete another 43 missions in World War Two. After the war, he came home, got married, and soon he had two sons. One of them is Alan Matisoff, a veteran of the Army Reserves, who spent 17 years as a police officer. Alan would not have been born without Sergeant Levin's bravery. And Alan joins us here tonight. And, Alan, I will tell you, your presence this evening testifies to the love and the strength of a great American hero. And thank you very much for being here. Thank you very much. (Applause.) Thank you, Alan. In every generation, Jewish American patriots have strengthened, sustained, uplifted, and inspired our nation. In a moment, the Shalva Band will conclude this event with a song that we know very well. Before they do, I want to tell the famous story behind it. In 1918, a young Jewish American soldier stationed at Camp Upton, in New York, wrote a prayer in the form of a song. His name was Irving Berlin -- maybe the greatest of them all. And he held that song close to his heart for more than 20 years. He did not release the song until 1938, as the world learned of Hitler's evil atrocities against the Jewish people. On November 10th of that year, his song broadcast through the radio and into the homes all across the country. Millions and millions of people were inspired. It was the first time Americans heard Irving Berlin's timeless hymn, "God Bless America." (Applause.) These words became the prayer of our nation, the prayer that traveled to the islands of the Pacific, to the beaches of Normandy, and all the way to Nazi territory, where American soldiers open the gates of concentration camps and liberated Jewish survivors. It's the prayer that Americans sang as we faced down communism and as we came together as one nation after 9/11. It's the prayer that still unites us today and the hope that burns bright in our hearts, because we are proud American patriots. We love this magnificent nation with every ounce of our strength, spirit, and soul. So tonight, together, we ask that God bless our military. We ask that God bless our veterans. We ask that God bless our cherished ally, the State of Israel. (Applause.) And with our flag waving high, our people standing tall, and our faith forever strong, we say our prayer once more: God bless America, our home sweet home. (Applause.) AUDIENCE: USA! USA! USA! THE PRESIDENT: Now I'd like to ask the Shalva Band back to the stage for a very, very special performance. Thank you very much. Thank you, everybody. (Applause.) END 9:40 P.M. EST |
Saturday, December 7, 2019
BACKGROUND PRESS CALL BY A SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL ON THE RELEASE OF XIYUE WANG FROM IRAN
Office of the Press Secretary
|
BACKGROUND PRESS CALL
BY A SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL ON THE RELEASE OF XIYUE WANG FROM IRAN Via Telephone 10:04 A.M. EST SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Good morning. Thank you for joining this background briefing on the release of Xiyue Wang from Iran. This call is embargoed until its conclusion and is attributable, on background, to a senior administration official. Today, we have [senior administration official]. [Senior administration official] will give brief remarks and then we will go into Q&A. Please make sure to direct any questions on other topics to us after this call. We'd like to keep today's focus on Mr. Wang. With that, I will turn it over to [senior administration official]. SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thank you, this is [senior administration official], speaking to you from [redacted]. I'm out here for the [redacted]. It was a late night, early morning this morning, as we were tracking the events regarding Xiyue Wang and his return to the United States. I can tell you that Xiyue is in route and may have landed already in Germany, where he'll undergo some medical evaluations to ensure his health. But I have been told both by Xiyue, with whom I spoke last night -- or early this morning -- and those who were with him, that he appears to be in good health, and I can tell you he seems to be in very, very good humor and in good spirits. And so he'll take a brief break in Germany, and then we expect him to return home soon. As you know, he was held prisoner in Iran, unjustly and wrongly, for the past three years. Xiyue was a Princeton University student who had gone to Iran to study, and to study Persian literature. He's been held there under the pretense of an espionage charge since August 2016. He was not a spy, he was not involved in espionage, and was wrongfully detained from the start. I want to thank our Swiss partners for their assistance in negotiating Mr. Wang's release. The Swiss, including their Ambassador on the ground, Markus Leitner, and other officials in the Swiss government in Bern, have worked tirelessly to obtain the release of Mr. Wang and of other Americans wrongly held in Switzerland for many, many years -- or wrongfully held in Iran for many, many years. In my prior work as a Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, I worked closely with the Swiss and we're grateful for their efforts, both as our protecting power, providing consular services to Americans in Tehran, and for their efforts here. The President remains committed to talks with Iran without preconditions, and we'll continue to work very hard to bring home all of our American citizens wrongfully held captive overseas, including the Americans, as they continue to be held wrongfully in the Islamic Republic of Iran. So, with that, I'll open up to questions. And thank you for taking the time to join us this morning. SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Hey, thanks for doing this early, in your hometown. As I understand it, these negotiations started about three weeks ago. Can you tell us at all about whether the U.S. initiated them, whether Iran initiated them? And do they represent any kind of instigator for more negotiations with Iran on broader topics, whether other prisoners or larger issues? Thanks. SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thank you. So it's -- I appreciate the question. We've been attempting to have a consular dialogue with Iran for some time. It goes back even to before the time that I was the [redacted], back into early 2018, late 2017. So we've been seeking a consular dialogue so that we could raise the issues of -- the issue of the wrongfully held Americans in Iran for some time. As far as how this came about, this was -- the Swiss took a leading role in organizing these negotiations. I think these negotiations on the specific release of Xiayue Wang have been ongoing for the past -- intensely for the past three to four weeks, but have been going on a bit longer than that. And, you know, we want to thank the Swiss for their efforts on that front. I'm hopeful that the release of Mr. Wang is a sign that the Iranians are realizing that their practice of hostage-taking diplomacy really should come to an end if Iran wants to rejoin the international community. That's one of the malign activities that really needs to end on the part of the Iranians. And so we're hopeful that this indicates some, and could lead to some, momentum in obtaining the release of other Americans who are wrongfully held in Iran. With respect to further talks, the United States had a maximum pressure campaign on Iran after withdrawing from the JCPOA, which was a terribly flawed agreement. The maximum pressure campaign that President Trump has instituted is having -- is working and is highly effective, where the Iranians are feeling the pressure of the maximum sanctions campaign. And the President -- President Trump has made it very clear that he's willing to meet with the Iranians, without preconditions, to talk about important issues between our countries, including the total end of Iran's nuclear program, certainly the return of American hostages, ending the long-range ballistic missile program in Iran, and ending Iran's activities -- malign activities in the region, which is destabilizing countries like Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, Yemen. And it's interesting, not only are there massive protests in Iran, there are massive protests in Iraq and Lebanon from people that are no longer interested in the way that Iran is attempting to run their governments through proxies. So, look, we're hopeful that this will -- the release of Mr. Wang is a sign that the Iranians may be willing to come to the table to discuss all these issues. Q Hi, this is Robin Wright from the New Yorker. Foreign Minister Zarif first brought up the idea of a swap in April, repeatedly in public and in private sessions. He talked again in September at the U.N. about it, and first mentioned Soleimani. Do you credit the Iranians with trying to jumpstart this process? And, secondly, on Soleimani, he was scheduled to go to -- to have an appearance in court this week. Can you tell us how the legal end of his status has been resolved? Was there some kind of behind-the-scenes plea, and then he was given time served and released? Or was this really a swap and the judicial process has been dropped? SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thanks, Robin. First, with respect to Mr. Zarif's comments, as you know, I've been seeking to open a consular dialogue with Foreign Minister Zarif for quite some time. It was -- we never believed that those public comments of Mr. Zarif were very serious. Our consistent posture had been that rather than trying to negotiate, for propaganda points, in CFR lectures or interviews with friendly journalists -- and Mr. Zarif seems to have lots of friends in Boston and New York -- that the proper way to deal with these sorts of negotiations was through established diplomatic channels, either in talks directly with the United States or going through our protecting power, the Swiss. And when the Iranians became serious and were willing to go through the -- you know, handle these conversations in a formal, diplomatic process, we were able to make some progress. So I don’t think that -- I wouldn’t give Foreign Minister Zarif's comments to the press, you know, much currency with respect to this. But we will say that it's -- we do appreciate the fact that we were able to work through proper diplomatic channels -- in this case, the Swiss -- to effectuate the release of Mr. Wang. And so we're -- we do appreciate the fact that we were able to have those conversations through the Swiss, with Iran, and then it led to the release of Mr. Wang. With respect to Mr. Soleimani, the United States has dropped charges against Massoud Soleimani. He's an Iranian doctor who was charged with conspiring and attempting to export materials to Iran without a license, in violation of U.S. sanctions. And he was scheduled to be in court this week. For anything further on Mr. Soleimani's case, we would refer you to the DOJ for comment. Q Hi there, this is Kelly O'Donnell from NBC. SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Hi Kelly. Q Thank you for taking the call. We've seen, especially in your time helping the President with the release of prisoners or hostages abroad, a desire to bring them to the White House and have that moment in the Oval Office. Do you anticipate that that will happen at some point when Mr. Wang is well enough, able enough? And what kind of timing might that include? SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Thanks, Kelly. You know, I don't know how that will happen. Our biggest concern is for the health and welfare and wellbeing of Mr. Wang and his family. He's got a wonderful wife, Hua, who has fought tirelessly for his return, and she's really been an inspirational figure and has worked very, very hard on her husband's behalf. He has a young son that he hasn’t seen in three years. So I know he's -- so I think, right now, Mr. Wang is focused on making sure that he's in good health and being reunited with his family. And that's -- that's what Mr. Wang wants and that's what we want for him and what the President wants for him. I spoke with Mr. Wang last night. He was incredibly grateful for the efforts of the United States on his behalf, and thanked the President, asked me to thank the President and thank Secretary Pompeo. He was also grateful for the really excellent work. And I want to recognize the involvement in these negotiations, especially over the past several weeks, of Special Representative Brian Hook, Special Representative for Iran, and for Acting Special Presidential Envoy Hugh Dugan. Brian and Hugh were able to be there for the -- to pick up Mr. Wang in Switzerland, and they've done an excellent job. And again, I want to thank Secretary Pompeo, Attorney General Barr, and, of course, the President, for all their tireless efforts on this. Now, you know, I think -- I've certainly invited Mr. Wang, when he feels up to it, to come visit me. I've worked on his case for quite some time, and I've gotten to know his wife, and she's become a friend. And so we would love to see the Wang family come visit me in the White House. And my expectation is that, given the President's schedule and the Wang schedule, that the President would like welcome him home to America. But again, I don’t have -- we don’t have anything scheduled at this time, and I can't give you any clarity on when that might happen. But I can tell you the President and his team and the team at State are thrilled that Mr. Wang is home and is free. We'll be even happier when the rest of the Americans held in Iran are also free. And we look forward to seeing him. Q Thanks for doing this call. This is Franco Ordoñez from NPR. I just wanted to ask if there were any concerns about dropping -- what kind of message, dropping these charges, sends to Iran. If DOJ drops charges for political reasons, why shouldn’t Iran believe that the U.S.'s justice system is political? SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Yeah, that's a good question. And, you know, the number one thing I want to emphasize -- and this has been true of every wrongful detainee or hostage case in which I've been involved and the President has been involved -- there's been absolutely no payment of cash or lifting of sanctions, or any sort of concessions or ransom in these cases, and certainly not with respect to Mr. Wang. And that may be one of the reasons why it’s taken some time to, you know, open the -- to at least obtain some of the recoveries from Iran that we’re tracking, especially Mr. Wang. So, you know, we are very strongly opposed to concessions with respect to obtaining Americans home that have been taken hostage or wrongfully detained for the very reason that you state. We don’t want to encourage further hostage taking or wrongful detentions. So with respect to Mr. Soleimani, he was scheduled to appear in court on December 11. I’ll refer questions about, specifically, if whether he would have been released on that date or had any further time to serve to the Department of Justice. But what I can tell you is, in light of the status of Mr. Soleimani’s case, this was an extraordinarily good outcome for the United States of America, that we were able to bring Mr. Wang home specifically in a simultaneous resolution of charges against Mr. Soleimani. But I can tell you that this was an exceedingly good situation for the United States and for Mr. Wang. Q Hi, can you guys hear me? SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: I can hear you. Q This is Kylie Atwood with CNN. Thank you very much for taking the time to do this this morning. We understand that -- SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Hi, Kylie. How are you? Q I’m great. Thank you. We understand everything that you’ve said on the call thus far, but what do you say with regard to the fact that this is being viewed as a prisoner swap? Is this a prisoner swap? And second-fold, you know, there are a number of Americans, as you have noted, who are still in Iran. So what is your message to those families this morning who are seeing this news, which is great, but are devastated by the fact that their family members are still being detained? SENIOR ADMINISTRATION OFFICIAL: Well, number one, with respect to, you know, the characterization of this as a “prisoner swap,” look, you know, the facts are that the United States did drop charges against Mr. Soleimani. We’re very pleased, given the status of Mr. Soleimani’s case. And the DOJ can talk to you further about that. But we feel very good about our role in resolving the charges against Mr. Soleimani and the reciprocal humanitarian gesture by the Iranians to release Mr. Wang. It was a -- this was a very good result for the United States. So folks can characterize it however they’d like, but we feel that given where Mr. Soleimani’s case was headed, the fact that we were able to use Iran’s interests in having him come home to spur the negotiations that led to the return of Mr. Wang, we view that as a very, very good deal for the United States. With respect to the other families, let me just step back from -- not just from the Iran families, but we have other hostages that are being held around the world. And I’ve been -- I’ve been very blessed to be -- to have been involved in the return of a large number of hostages and detainees over the past couple of years. That’s been made possible because President Trump has made the return of Americans wrongfully held abroad a very top priority of his administration. And those efforts, whether they, in some cases, resulted in the deaths of soldiers, very difficult diplomacy, whatever tools we used to bring people home -- when the hostages came home, that we're always joyful for that -- the hostage or the hostages that arrived home. But at the same time, I always felt, and I believe the President has always felt, that the job wasn’t done because there were others that remained held -- other Americans who remained held captive overseas. And so, as soon as someone came home, we’d roll up our sleeves and start working on the next case. And, you know, specifically with respect to the Iran families, I know most of the families very well, and those families have become friends. And I can tell you we’re working -- we have been working and we are working very, very hard to bring every one of the families home, whether it’s the Namazis or others, (inaudible) name for -- jeopardize work we’re doing with our cases. But we’re working very hard to bring Americans, who are wrongfully held in Iran, home. And I know there’s going to be some disappointments. Bob Levinson is somebody else that we’ve worked -- if there hasn’t been one interaction with either third parties, the Swiss, or other nations or with the Iranians, that Bob Levinson has not been the first person that we raised, seeking information regarding Bob -- seeking Bob’s return. So, you know, we are fully committed to bringing every American home in Iran and those that are detained elsewhere, whether it’s Austin Tice or others in Syria; the Venezuelans, the Citgo six who are in Caracas; Jeff Woodke who’s a humanitarian worker who’s held by terrorists in -- likely in Mali. We’re committed to bringing them all home. And specifically with respect to the Iran families, I think they can view this as potentially a harbinger of good news. We were able to bring Mr. Wang home, and we’re joyful about his return and very happy for this family and his young wife and young son. And we’re hopeful that this will lead us to further success with Iran. I can tell you that the team that’s working on these matters, Brian Hook and Hugh Dugan, are very experienced in this realm; that the Secretary -- Secretary Pompeo -- has given them every bit of support that they need; that our Swiss colleagues are highly professional and highly motivated to assist the United States. And we’re grateful for their efforts. So we’re hopeful that this will give us some momentum to bring other Americans, who are currently being held in Iran, home. We haven’t forgotten them. We know them by name. We’re working hard for them. We’re praying for them. And we expect that their families will be very happy for the Wang family. In fact, I can tell you that in almost every hostage return, I have received -- and it just goes to show the high character of these families and how they stick together. And just about every time we’ve had somebody return, where it’s been public, I’ve received e-mails from other hostage families congratulating us on getting that hostage home and saying that it gives them hope for their family members. And that’s a credit to these wonderful families who are working so hard to bring their loved ones home -- their father, son, brother -- to get them back to the United States to their friends and families. So I think it’s a -- this should be viewed as a hopeful sign by the other families. Certainly they’re going to be disappointed that their loved one didn’t come home, but I think that they’re going to -- I think they’ll find some hope in this, and they can rest assured that the team that is working to bring these Americans home is already -- you know, as we celebrate Mr. Wang’s return, that they’re already turning to the remaining cases and rolling up their sleeves to make sure we can try and have some other victories for these families. I think that was the last question. Thank you all. I know it’s an early morning for some of you out here on the coast, so thank you for participating. I look forward to seeing all of you back in Washington on one of the planes over the next couple of weeks. And again, thank you for joining us. END 10:29 A.M. EST |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)