Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) said El Salvador President Naive Buquere accidentally met with Maryland man Kilmer Abrego Garcia, “he looks like he’s in paradise.”
The Maryland Senator held the round on Sunday morning news show, explaining his meeting with Abrego Garcia. He was able to secure it in El Salvador for the past week after his initial efforts were denied and denied entry to prison.
“At one point, I think the president of El Salvador has realized that it looks really bad that there’s this guy who has been able to communicate in one of the prisons from the city of Maryland and escaped America,” Van Hollen said in an interview with ABC News “This Week.”
“So I got the call saying, ‘We’re going to take him to your hotel.’ That’s how we met,” he added.
Van Hollen said Salvador officials initially wanted to hold a meeting in the hotel’s swimming pool, but negotiated those terms.
“The Salvadora authorities tried to deceive people. They tried to make him appear in paradise. They actually wanted to see the meeting in the hotel pool,” Van Hollen said.
“We had to negotiate that,” he added. “They wanted me to look down at the pool. In fact, if there’s a different angle to the camera shot, they’ll see the pool.”
Carl asked if he thought the senator would “walk”[ed] Abrego Garcia said he was taken to civilian clothes and Salvadoran authorities during the meeting and brought in two men’s Margarita glasses.
“No, it wasn’t a trap,” Van Hollen said. “My goal was to meet him and make sure I could tell his wife and family that he was OK. That was my goal, and I achieved that goal.”
