Journalist MISSING – White House Reacts
(NewsReady.com) – On Saturday, April 30, the White Correspondents’ Association Dinner was held for the first time in two years. One of the attendees was Debra Tice, the mother of Austin Tice, who was abducted in Syria in 2012. The hosts of the event recognized Tice, and that led to a meeting with President Joe Biden.
During his remarks at the event, Biden said he planned to meet with the Tice family about Austin. On Monday, they met at the White House. According to Press Secretary Jen Psaki, the president told Debra and Marc Tice that he’s committed to bringing the journalist home. She also explained that although the meeting between the president and the Tices was a first, the parents have previously met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan.
CBS News' @edokeefe asks WH Press Sec. Jen Psaki about Pres. Biden's meeting today with the parents of Austin Tice, a freelance journalist and veteran who was abducted in Syria in 2012:
"We will continue to do everything we can to bring him, and as we do any American, home." pic.twitter.com/mRoCF5889j
— CBS News (@CBSNews) May 2, 2022
In 2017, before he left office, former President Barack Obama’s administration contacted the Tices and told them they had “high confidence” that their son was still alive. He hasn’t been heard from since a video of his imprisonment hit the internet in 2012.
Former President Donald Trump’s administration also worked on the Tice case. As Trump’s term was ending, two officials from his team traveled to Damascus — including America’s most elite hostage negotiator, Roger Carstens — to find information on Tice and others. However, Syrian President Bashar Assad’s government didn’t give any significant information.
With renewed interest in the case, maybe the government will finally make progress.
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