Akivah
Well-Known Member
I came across an article in Foxnews today about President Trump’s successes in securing the release of US prisoners from around the world. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/12/20/trump-administration-finds-success-in-bringing-home-americans-detained-abroad.html Reading the article got me curious about what CNN had to say about these releases. From the listing below, Trump’s efforts were barely mentioned or CNN focused on ancillary aspects of the story and ignored Trump’s help altogether.
Otto Warmbier:
CNN: President Donald Trump's administration worked to secure his return, and upon doing so, learned Warmbier could not speak or move voluntarily. Otto Warmbier: Parents discuss details of son's last days - CNNPolitics
Caitlan Coleman and Joshua Boyle
CNN: They were freed last week in Pakistan after a firefight between their captors and Pakistani rescuers. 5 things for October 16: Family freed, Somalia bombings, California wildfires - CNN
FOX: After getting the go-ahead from Trump, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary James Mattis, U.S. diplomats and military officials gave Pakistan an ultimatum: either they rescue the family or the U.S. would carry out the operation themselves. Pakistani forces eventually stopped a car suspected of carrying the family and found Coleman, Boyle and the children stuffed in the trunk.
{CNN didn't report on Trump's ultimatum to the Pakistanis.}
Sabrina De Sousa
CNN: Former CIA officer Sabrina De Sousa, who was convicted in 2009 for playing a part in seizing a radical Egyptian cleric on the streets of Milan, has received a last-minute, partial pardon from Italy. Ex-CIA officer partially pardoned for role in rendition case in Italy - CNN
FOX: While the White House remained mum on its role in the affair, former Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., a spokesman for De Sousa, said officials within the Trump White House worked to block her extradition. "I can confirm that this wouldn't have happened without extraordinary help from the Trump administration.
{CNN didn't mention any US efforts.}
Aya Hijazi
CNN: White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Friday that Trump "directly engaged behind the scenes" to secure Hijazi's release and raised the issue with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Spicer said Trump "made clear how important it was to him" that Hijazi be released and returned to the United States. Trump: 'We are very happy to have Aya back home' - CNNPolitics
FOX: The White House again kept quiet about its role in Hijazi’s release – noting only that the case was on the agenda when Trump met with el-Sissi – but the president personally dispatched a U.S. government plane to Cairo to bring Hijazi and her husband back to the U.S. and personally met with her soon after she was acquitted in Egypt of charges of child abuse that were widely dismissed as bogus by human rights groups and U.S. officials.
{Good job CNN}
UCLA Basketball Players LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill
CNN: [Commissioner] Scott acknowledged Trump, among others, in his statement. "We are grateful for the role that our Chinese hosts played, and for the courtesy and professionalism of the local authorities," Scott said. "We also want to acknowledge UCLA's significant efforts on behalf of their student athletes. Finally, we want to thank the President, the White House and the US State Department for their efforts towards resolution." 3 UCLA basketball players arrested in China to make statements - CNN
FOX: Trump personally took credit for the release of three UCLA basketball players held in China for shoplifting after the president asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping to release them from custody.
{This CNN quote was tough to find. Almost all of their reporting was on the spat between the president and one of the player's parents.}
Otto Warmbier:
CNN: President Donald Trump's administration worked to secure his return, and upon doing so, learned Warmbier could not speak or move voluntarily. Otto Warmbier: Parents discuss details of son's last days - CNNPolitics
Caitlan Coleman and Joshua Boyle
CNN: They were freed last week in Pakistan after a firefight between their captors and Pakistani rescuers. 5 things for October 16: Family freed, Somalia bombings, California wildfires - CNN
FOX: After getting the go-ahead from Trump, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Defense Secretary James Mattis, U.S. diplomats and military officials gave Pakistan an ultimatum: either they rescue the family or the U.S. would carry out the operation themselves. Pakistani forces eventually stopped a car suspected of carrying the family and found Coleman, Boyle and the children stuffed in the trunk.
{CNN didn't report on Trump's ultimatum to the Pakistanis.}
Sabrina De Sousa
CNN: Former CIA officer Sabrina De Sousa, who was convicted in 2009 for playing a part in seizing a radical Egyptian cleric on the streets of Milan, has received a last-minute, partial pardon from Italy. Ex-CIA officer partially pardoned for role in rendition case in Italy - CNN
FOX: While the White House remained mum on its role in the affair, former Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., a spokesman for De Sousa, said officials within the Trump White House worked to block her extradition. "I can confirm that this wouldn't have happened without extraordinary help from the Trump administration.
{CNN didn't mention any US efforts.}
Aya Hijazi
CNN: White House press secretary Sean Spicer said Friday that Trump "directly engaged behind the scenes" to secure Hijazi's release and raised the issue with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Spicer said Trump "made clear how important it was to him" that Hijazi be released and returned to the United States. Trump: 'We are very happy to have Aya back home' - CNNPolitics
FOX: The White House again kept quiet about its role in Hijazi’s release – noting only that the case was on the agenda when Trump met with el-Sissi – but the president personally dispatched a U.S. government plane to Cairo to bring Hijazi and her husband back to the U.S. and personally met with her soon after she was acquitted in Egypt of charges of child abuse that were widely dismissed as bogus by human rights groups and U.S. officials.
{Good job CNN}
UCLA Basketball Players LiAngelo Ball, Cody Riley and Jalen Hill
CNN: [Commissioner] Scott acknowledged Trump, among others, in his statement. "We are grateful for the role that our Chinese hosts played, and for the courtesy and professionalism of the local authorities," Scott said. "We also want to acknowledge UCLA's significant efforts on behalf of their student athletes. Finally, we want to thank the President, the White House and the US State Department for their efforts towards resolution." 3 UCLA basketball players arrested in China to make statements - CNN
FOX: Trump personally took credit for the release of three UCLA basketball players held in China for shoplifting after the president asked Chinese leader Xi Jinping to release them from custody.
{This CNN quote was tough to find. Almost all of their reporting was on the spat between the president and one of the player's parents.}
