The New York Times reported that one of Bukele’s aides planted the tropical-looking drinks on the table to make it look like Abrego Garcia was living large. Van Hollen confirmed this on Friday. “This is a lesson into the lengths that President Bukele will go to deceive people about what’s going on,” he said, “and it also shows the lengths that the Trump administration and the president will go to, because when he was asked … about this, he just went along for the ride.”
Van Hollen added that Bukele’s government wanted the meeting to take place by a pool: “They actually wanted to have the meeting [take place] by the side of the pool in the hotel,” he said. “This is a guy who’s been in CECOT. This is a guy who has been detained. They want to create this appearance that life was just lovely for Kilmar, which, of course, is a big fat lie.”
He also noted that the margaritas or whatever drinks were placed in front of them were fake. And that you can tell that it was a photo op through a detail they fucked up on.
They tried to make it look like Mr. Garcia’s drink had been sipped from (was clearly less full than the senator’s glass), But there was salt and sugar around the entire rim indicating it had never been drank from at all.
Edit: clip from press confrence
The instant I saw it I figured they transited him to the hotel wherever the senator was staying, and they just spoke in the restaurant.
The fact that Bukele would stage this, and go so far as to place fake drinks on the table, shows how much of a banana republic El Salvador and Trumpistan are.
The worst part is the majority are apparently braindead enough to not instantly see right through this.
The instant I saw the picture I noticed the brand new Chiefs hat. I doubt that was his hat from when he was first incarcerated that they returned to him. They probably just gave it to him to make him look more American, or something.
I don’t know whether he cares about the NFL at all. Is he a Ravens fan? If I were incarcerated and my family saw me in Chiefs merch they would instantly know I was wearing it under duress. And I wonder if any Eagles fans are relieved that, even though they won the Super Bowl, their team isn’t a prop in this disaster.