During Thursday’s State Department press briefing, Spokesperson Tammy Bruce answered questions about wrongfully detained U.S. citizens.
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00:00Thank you. Related to 100 days, so wrongful detention. Yesterday, the Secretary, he said,
00:07quote, in the first 100 days of the 47th presidency, 47 wrongfully detained Americans have been
00:13returned to the United States thanks to the President's leadership. I just wanted to ask
00:18whether he was aware that wrongful detention is a specific determination made by the State
00:24Department and that it involves looking at the criteria within the Robert Levinson Act to determine
00:30whether a case of an American detained abroad is wrongful detention or whether that term,
00:36wrongful detention, has now changed under this administration to encompass
00:41a bigger group of Americans detained abroad even if they don't fit that criteria.
00:46Well, I believe he also has a tweet out that refers to 47 unjustly detained Americans,
00:51Americans, and so that's what I'll speak to here, and that is, of course, a correct number.
00:56It will be higher, I believe, soon, including in Afghanistan, Russia, and Venezuela through
01:02diplomatic efforts. These are huge wins for the United States, and it is because of President
01:08Trump's leadership. What we can also tell you – I think this happened – was it yesterday,
01:14I believe? I'm pleased to report that President Trump has secured the release of another U.S. citizen,
01:18Joris Djankovic from Belarus. Since President Trump took office, he was released on April 30th
01:26and returned to the United States. There is – we want to thank, of course, the Government of Lithuania,
01:33who remain incredible allies and who have offered critical support to our efforts these past few
01:39months to bring more Americans home. All right. Thank you. And – yes, sir.