(TheRedAlertNews.com) – Former Trump National Security Adviser Robert C. O’Brien has strongly criticized Biden’s indefensible decision to give Iran $6 billion, characterizing it as ransom money. He argued that this action clearly incentivized Hamas to take Americans hostage in Israel during the recent wave of terrorist attacks.
In a post on X, O’Brien emphasized his concerns: “While welcoming our Iran hostages home, I said at the time — paying ransom (eg unfreezing $6 billion) is problematic because it incentivizes new hostage taking & gives terrorists money for new operations. I didn’t think we would see these points illustrated so vividly, so quickly.”
During his tenure in the Trump administration, O’Brien served as the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs from 2018 to 2019. His efforts played a pivotal role in securing the release of American pastor Andrew Brunson from Turkey in 2018 and Danny Burch, an American oil worker in Yemen.
O’Brien urged Biden to take swift action on Saturday in response to the Americans being taken hostage in Israel. He called for deploying the FBI Hostage Rescue Team and Joint Special Operations Command’s hostage extraction forces to assist Israel. O’Brien posted, “We now know [American citizens] have been taken by Hamas. Those teams should be airborne to the region now to be in a position to rescue our countrymen.”
Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed the situation, emphasizing that the Biden administration was working to verify reports of Americans among the casualties and hostages in Israel. He stated, “Any American anywhere who is being detained or held hostage, that is going to be a priority for this government, for this administration, and for me, but I don’t want to get ahead of where we are. We have reports; we need to verify them.”
However, it’s worth noting that while these posts were happening, the Biden White House hosted a BBQ for staff with live music, as reported in a pool report.
While welcoming our Iran hostages home, I said at the time- paying ransom (eg unfreezing $6 billion) is problematic because it incentivizes new hostage taking & gives terrorists money for new operations. I didn't think we would see these points illustrated so vividly, so quickly.
— Robert C. O'Brien (@robertcobrien) October 8, 2023
