The Biden administration announced a new sanctions authorization Tuesday to target those complicit in hostage taking or wrongful detentions of Americans in an effort to bring those Americans home. But some families of American hostages, who were apprised of the executive action before it was announced, were unimpressed and viewed the White House outreach to them as a cynical ploy.
"In an effort to pre-manage the press attention from many hostage families being in D.C. this week to unveil their mural, the White House summoned families to a last-minute call they insisted families keep off-the-record and then proceeded to tell every reporter in Washington the call was going to take place," Jonathan Franks, spokesman for Bring Our Families Campaign, said in a press release Monday.
The executive order authorizes agencies to impose financial sanctions on any "terrorist organizations, criminal groups, and other malicious actors" involved in hostage-taking or wrongful detentions. However, no new sanctions were announced along with the order.
Franks complained that the White House conversation with the families to inform them of the executive order was "one-way" and said that "the talk and chat functions were disabled and (the White House) didn't seem to realize how triggering it might be for families to literally be silenced during a call like this."
"Instead, the White House is taking executive action to direct itself to follow existing law," Franks continued. "The families continue to await a reply to their requests for meetings with President Biden."
The Bring Our Families Home campaign, founded to advocate for the families of American hostages and wrongfully detained Americans, wants more engagement for families with the White House, including meetings with the president. The campaign formed soon after the Biden administration secured the release of American citizen Trevor Reed from Russia in a prisoner swap. Mr. Biden had met with Reed's parents at the White House a month before the swap took place, which has left other families wondering if they are being treated differently.
The call was set up as a webinar, so families were not able to see who else was on the call or ask questions of the officials, leaving the families frustrated according to two sources familiar with the call.
Families of hostages are in D.C. this week to unveil a new mural in Georgetown commemorating their loved ones.
A White House spokesperson responded to the BOFH statement saying, "We invited them to hear about new policy efforts we are launching to help bring their loved ones home. We wanted to share information with the families first before we announce them publicly, which the families deserve."