WaPo: North Korea Billed Trump $2 Million for Release of Hostage (Otto Warmbier)

[spanone]

North Korea issued a $2 million bill for the hospital care of comatose American Otto Warmbier, insisting that a U.S. official sign a pledge to pay it before being allowed to fly the University of Virginia student from Pyongyang in 2017.

The presentation of the invoice — not previously disclosed by U.S. or North Korean officials — was extraordinarily brazen even for a regime known for its aggressive tactics. But the main U.S. envoy sent to retrieve Warmbier signed an agreement to pay the medical bill on instructions passed down from President Trump, according to two people familiar with the situation. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The bill went to the Treasury Department, where it remained — unpaid — throughout 2017, the people said. However, it is unclear whether the Trump administration later paid the bill, or whether it came up during preparations for Trump’s two summits with Kim Jong Un. The White House declined to comment. “We do not comment on hostage negotiations, which is why they have been so successful during this administration,” White House press secretary Sarah Sanders wrote in an email.

https://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2019/04/wapo-north-korea-billed-trump-2-million-for-release-of-hostage/

[gratuitous]

1. "We do not comment on hostage negotiations"

So the administration's policy is that it does negotiate with terrorists. Nice. Russia, if you're listening . . .

[spanone]

2. In other words....'we paid the ransom'.

The White House declined to comment. “We do not comment on hostage negotiations, which is why they have been so successful during this administration,”

a small price to pay to make trump look like the guy who could do what Obama didn't.

[gratuitous]

4. And apparently the Warmbier situation is counted as a success by the administration

Something to keep in mind if one ever travels out of the country.

[watoos]

7. Define success?

[spanone]

8. trump got a few days of good press...worth every penny to him and his cabal

[mitch96]

3. We will pay when they return a fully functioning intelligence ship Pueblo..... nt

[calimary]

5. Hah. Did trump essentially "buy" that hostage release?

[watoos]

6. Wow, Trump paid for N. Korea's murder of an American,

is what it all boils down to. He did score political points with his base for being tough.

I wonder what he paid for the remains of our soldiers who fought in N. Korea?

[HipChick]

9. I wonder how much he paid for the remains..