Trump's comments about Otto Warmbier spark bipartisan backlash

[mystery-ak]

Trump's comments about Otto Warmbier spark bipartisan backlash
By Brett Samuels - 02/28/19 09:51 AM EST

President Trump took heat from both sides of the aisle on Thursday for saying he trusts that Kim Jong Un was not responsible for the death of Otto Warmbier, an American college student who died after being imprisoned in North Korea.

At a press conference in Vietnam, Trump told reporters that Kim had denied involvement in Warmbier's death, "and I will take him at his word."

"He knew the case very well. But he knew it later,” Trump said of Kim. “And, you know, you’ve got a lot of people. Big country. Lot of people. And in those prisons and those camps, you have a lot of people. And some really bad things happened to Otto. Some really bad things.”

The remarks from Trump were somewhat surprising since he had previously said that Warmbier was "tortured beyond belief" while in prison in North Korea. Trump also took credit for Warmbier's release in 2017.

But Trump has also sought to develop a closer relationship with Kim as he seeks a nuclear deal with North Korea.

more
https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/431985-trump-faces-criticism-for-comments-on-otto-warmbier

[Night Hides Not]

30 minutes after posting, and not one Trump supporter has offered their "interpretation" of Trump's misguided remarks.

[skeeter]

30 minutes after posting, and not one Trump supporter has offered their "interpretation" of Trump's misguided remarks.

It took 30 minutes for a Trump detractor to use the story to mock Trump supporters.

Things are looking up.

[DCPatriot]

30 minutes after posting, and not one Trump supporter has offered their "interpretation" of Trump's misguided remarks.

Listen up, Ms. Obtuse.

There's nothing misguided about President Trump's remarks.

All other hostages were returned in 'good' condition.  Uninjured physically.

What part of "there are some terrible, horrific things that happen in prisons" don't you understand?

[Night Hides Not]

It took 30 minutes for a Trump detractor to use the story to mock Trump supporters.

Things are looking up.

Not exactly, I just got back from getting bagels for my wife and me. 

[Night Hides Not]

Listen up, Ms. Obtuse.

There's nothing misguided about President Trump's remarks.

All other hostages were returned in 'good' condition.  Uninjured physically.

What part of "there are some terrible, horrific things that happen in prisons" don't you understand?

That's Mister Obtuse, if you please.

BTW, what's your proof that "all other hostages were returned in good condition?

[TomSea]

https://www.gq.com/story/otto-warmbier-north-korea-american-hostage-true-story

Again, GQ of all sources, published this article last summer.

The Untold Story of Otto Warmbier, American Hostage
By Doug Bock Clark
July 23, 2018

President Trump hailed him as a catalyst of the summit with Kim Jong-Un. But what happened to Warmbier—the American college student who was sent home brain-damaged from North Korea—is even more shocking than anyone knew.

...

“I don't believe Otto was physically tortured,” Andrei Lankov, said in his office in Seoul. “The campaign to make Otto a symbol of North Korea's cruelty was psychological preparation to justify military operations.”

...

10. A Theory

Without knowing about the revised time line of Otto's injury, experts I spoke to overwhelmingly identified some kind of accident—for example, an allergic reaction—as the most likely cause for Otto's unconsciousness. The likelihood that his brain damage happened immediately after the sentencing, however, raises the possibility that he may have attempted suicide.

Has had a bit of discussion in the world news forum.