Following a report that President Trump signed off on an agreement to pay North Korea for $2 million in medical bills for Otto Warmbier, President Trump denied the payment ever happened.
In tweets on Friday morning, Trump said “no money” was given to North Korea for Warmbier, an American student who was charged and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor in North Korea after he was caught tearing down a propaganda poster at a hotel. Warmbier was returned to the U.S. in a coma and he died shortly after his arrival. North Korean regime leader Kim Jong-un denies knowledge of what happened to Warmbier and Trump has indicated that he believes him.
Trump also tweeted out a quote that he attributes to an unknown “chief hostage negotiator” in the U.S. praising Trump as the “greatest hostage negotiator that I know of in the history of the United States.”
“President Donald J. Trump is the greatest hostage negotiator that I know of in the history of the United States. 20 hostages, many in impossible circumstances, have been released in last two years. No money was paid.” Cheif Hostage Negotiator, USA!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 26, 2019
No money was paid to North Korea for Otto Warmbier, not two Million Dollars, not anything else. This is not the Obama Administration that paid 1.8 Billion Dollars for four hostages, or gave five terroist hostages plus, who soon went back to battle, for traitor Sgt. Bergdahl!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 26, 2019
However, the Washington Post report on Thursday specified it was unclear if the payment was actually made. It only indicated that the envoy that was sent to retrieve Warmbier was asked to promise to pay his $2 million hospital bill and Trump okayed the agreement.
