U.S. Agreed to Pay North Korea for Warmbier But Didn't, Bolton Says

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

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 didn’t follow through, National Security Adviser John Bolton said Sunday.

“That’s 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]

1. Well Trump does have a history of not paying his bills so this one I can believe.

[Perseus]

5. Thinking the same...his modus operandi

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]

17. +1000

No big surprise.

[keithbvadu2]

2. Mixed emotions on this one.

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]

3. WTF? That's worse than paying it

If they promised to pay, but didn’t, then I can’t see how that’s an “improvement”. Under what circumstances is the US to be trusted to honor its commitments?

[JI7]

4. maybe it was paid somehow

[JohnnyRingo]

7. Hard to imagine he'd been released without the payment up front.

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]

23. Maybe they're lying

I don't believe Bolton.

[gldstwmn]

28. That's even worse.

[Perseus]

6. Just a thought

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]

8. Kim will have to have some kind of reaction to this

Either he'll claim that North Korea *was* paid, or he'll do another missile test.

[watoos]

9. His reaction will be

to hold this over Trump's head, aka blackmail.

[watoos]

10. Anyone want to bet that Trump also paid

to have the other hostages released and paid for the return of the remains of our Korean war vets?

[William Seger]

11. "That's what I am told"

... to say.

[yaesu]

12. All that kim needs to do is send tRump loving tweets and the 2 mil be on the way. nt

[rocktivity]

13. If it was for medical expenses, it was a reimbursement, not a payment

Don't forget that the the patient was WAY out of network


rocktivity

[CrispyQ]

26. LOL!

[politicaljunkie41910]

14. Bolton has learned to lie just like the rest of Trump's flunkies. It was reported the other day,

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]

15. As with all thing, Trump doesn't pay his bills...

[no_hypocrisy]

16. The debt HAD TO HAVE BEEN paid.

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]

18. Lil Kim Got Trumped.

The two are made for each other.

[Jumpty]

19. We shouldn't take Bolton's word for it

Investigate what happened.

[gopiscrap]

24. welcome to DU

I totally agree!

[greblach]

20. Who would believe a Trump treaty or agreement?

Hence no peace treaty, agreement, commitment or promise from tRump is worth anything...

[EveHammond13]

21. liar. of course they paid.

[erpowers]

22. If Obama

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]

25. Asshole welched on his bet with Warren, too.

Kim's the only person he's every welched on that deserved it.

[gldstwmn]

27. Who the hell signed that?

[Vinca]

29. Kim isn't too bright. Everyone knows Don doesn't pay his bills.