Sen. Chris Van Hollen (R-Md.) on Friday tried to debunk conspiracy theories that he was having a margarita with Kilmar Abrego Garcia in El Salvador, saying authorities officers there positioned glasses down on their desk to make it appear like they’d been consuming.
Van Hollen additionally criticized the Salvadoran authorities for making an attempt to glorify the therapy given to Abrego Garcia, pointing to the margarita-like drinks positioned in entrance of them and the preliminary plan to carry the assembly poolside throughout their Thursday face-to-face.
The Maryland Democrat, shortly after he landed from El Salvador, detailed his dialogue with Abrego Garcia, who was being held on the infamous CECOT jail earlier than just lately being moved.
In line with the Maryland senator, the 2 had solely water in entrance of them on the assembly in a resort earlier than, as documented within the photograph Van Hollen shared on his social media accounts. Shortly after, a Salvadoran authorities official “deposited two other glasses on the table.”
Van Hollen famous Abrego Garcia’s glass appeared to have much less in it to offer the impression that he’d been consuming out of it.
“Let me simply be very clear: Neither of us touched the drinks that had been in entrance of us,” he mentioned. “Nobody drank any margaritas or sugar water or whatever it is. But this is the lesson in the lengths that President [Nayib] Bukele will do to deceive people about what’s going on.”
Van Hollen mentioned it is clear the drinks went untouched, as not one of the salted rims indicated both man drank out of the glasses.
“And if you want to play a little Sherlock Holmes, I’ll tell you how you can,” he mentioned.
“If you sip out of one of those glasses, some of whatever it was, salt or sugar would disappear. You would see a gap. There’s no gap.”
He additionally pointed to the preliminary plan to carry the assembly by the resort pool.
“They actually wanted to have the meeting by the side of the pool in this hotel,” Van Hollen continued. “This is a guy who’s been in CECOT, this is a guy who’s been detained. They wanted to create this appearance that life was just lovely for Kilmar, which of course is a big, fat lie.”
Van Hollen’s remarks got here to reporters at Dulles Worldwide Airport, the place he landed after his multiday journey to the Central American nation, which he documented all through.
He mentioned the 2 met Thursday night time, with Abrego Garcia saying he since has been transferred out of CECOT.
The assembly additionally marked Abrego Garcia’s first interplay with anybody outdoors the jail since he was taken and deported by Trump officers, which administration legal professionals have since admitted was executed in error.
Van Hollen mentioned the primary level of the assembly was to find out whether or not he was wholesome. Abrego Garcia mentioned he’s.
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