President Biden is assembly Monday with the dad and mom of Austin Tice, the freelance journalist and veteran who was kidnapped in Syria a decade in the past, after saying Saturday on the White Home Correspondents Dinner that he'd like to satisfy them and speak about their son. Mr. Biden informed reporters he is assembly with them "at the moment," in response to a query from CBS Information.
The assembly with Marc and Debra Tice comes after months and months of pleading with the Biden administration for a presidential assembly. It has been greater than 9 years since a video emerged displaying the freelance journalist certain and blindfolded. The Tice household's pleas to the Biden White Home come as Marine veteran Trevor Reed was returned to the U.S. from Russia in trade for a Russian prisoner.
The president acknowledged Tice's dad and mom at Saturday's dinner after CBS Information Radio White Home correspondent and White Home Correspondents Affiliation president Steven Portnoy acknowledged Tice's mom, Debra Tice, within the viewers.
"Mr. President, at Desk 48 tonight is a lady named Debra Tice. Mrs. Tice, would you please stand?" Portnoy mentioned Saturday. "Mrs. Tice's son, Austin, is a colleague of ours on the Washington Publish, McClatchy and CBS, and he must be right here with us tonight. However he is been held captive in Syria since 2012. As we pay attention to Trevor Reed's return, our ideas tonight are with Austin Tice, and our collective hopes are that after practically ten years in captivity he'll quickly return dwelling safely to his mom, his father, his colleagues and his mates."
Midway by his speech, Mr. Biden mentioned to Tice's mom, "Mother, I would like to satisfy you and Dad to speak about your son."
White Home press secretary Jen Psaki mentioned the administration "went into motion" Sunday to make the assembly occur, after the president made these remarks.
Tice's dad and mom have pleaded with the Biden administration and former administrations to take motion and provoke diplomatic talks to deliver their son dwelling. Tice's present whereabouts and well being standing stay unclear, practically a decade after a video emerged displaying him certain and blindfolded.
Tice, who labored for shops together with McClatchy, The Washington Publish and CBS Information, was kidnapped whereas protecting the Syrian civil warfare on August 14, 2012. Tice is now 40.
Former President Trump despatched two administration officers to Syria in the summertime of 2020 to attempt to negotiate Tice's launch. It was a part of what one U.S. diplomat described as a concerted effort to deliver Tice again as part of an "October shock" earlier than the election, however the officers did not safe his freedom. On the time, Syrian officers informed CBS Information that the Syrian authorities mentioned no dialogue may happen about U.S. hostages so long as U.S. navy forces remained in Syria. Roughly 900 U.S. troops are in Syria.