Reporter Confronts State Department Over DC Visit by Islamist Group Leader Jack Heretik May 23, 2016 6:16 pm
http://freebeacon.com/national-security/reporter-confronts-state-department-over-dc-visit-by-islamist-group-leader/ A reporter confronted Deputy State Department Spokesman Mark Toner during the press briefing at the State Department on Monday over the reported visit to the United States of Labib al Nahhas, a senior member of the Islamist group Ahrar al Sham.
McClatchy DC reported on Saturday that al Nahhas visited Washington, D.C., in December 2015. It is not clear who he met with or where, but it was said that they were “third-parties.”
Ahrar al Sham is not currently listed as a terrorist organization by the United States government, but the group has connections in Syria with the Al-Qaeda aligned group Al-Nusra Front. Both groups are fighting the current Syrian regime.
“McClatchy wrote that the group’s, the Ahrar al Sham’s group’s foreign affairs director, Labib al Nahhas, was allowed into the United States for a brief visit six months ago. The outlet cites four people with direct knowledge of his visit to Washington, D.C. Were U.S. officials aware of this visit?” the reporter asked.
“I’m not sure that we that were aware of it. I don’t believe he had any meetings here, certainly. But, and I can’t speak to visa records, it’s privacy considerations, so I don’t have much detail I can share with you regarding whether he received a visa to come here, but I can look into it,” Toner said. “I just don’t have any more detail.”
excerpted - Video of Foggy Bottom bafflegab at source
