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A Florida lawmaker Friday criticized President Obama for apparently not mentioning the jailed U.S. Marine who has been since March in a Mexican prison during a meeting with his counterpart in the country.
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., said "it's pathetic" that the mother of Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi has to plead for her son's release from a Mexican prison while Obama apparently did not address the issue earlier in the day while meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto
"It is inexcusable, it is inexplicable, it is obscene, it is horrific," Ros-Lehtinen told Greta Van Susteren on "On the Record."
Tahmooressi, who suffers from PTSD and served in Afghanistan, has been languishing in custody since he was arrested in late March after he accidentally drove into the country with three legally purchased guns in his truck.
"He took a wrong turn from the U.S. into Mexico, a wrong turn into the Twilight Zone," Ros-Lehtinen said. "Meanwhile, he's been in a Mexico prison, and the days languish on for him. He has been beaten, he has been chained, he has been treated terribly."
Ros-Lehtinen noted that the transcript of Obama and Nieto's meeting, in which the two discussed the surge of immigrants from Mexico into the United States, did not include any mention of Tahmooressi.
"Now, they'll probably tell us, 'Oh well the president did (mention Tahmooressi), but it's such a sensitive nature that we didn't put it down in the notes of the transcript of what was talked about,'" Ros-Letinen said. "Baloney. This is very clear that it was not talked about."
Ros-Lehtinen added that she does not trust the Mexican justice system to free Tahmooressi, as she believes it's corrupt and distrustful of American service members.
The debate over Tahmooressi comes days after his mother hired high-profile attorney Fernando Benitez Alvarez del Castillo, the Marine's third lawyer in as many weeks. Tahmooressi, 25, who served two combat tours in Afghanistan, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and has alleged mistreatment -- including being stripped naked and chained to a bed -- at the hands of his Mexican captors.
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., said "it's pathetic" that the mother of Marine Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi has to plead for her son's release from a Mexican prison while Obama apparently did not address the issue earlier in the day while meeting with Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto
"It is inexcusable, it is inexplicable, it is obscene, it is horrific," Ros-Lehtinen told Greta Van Susteren on "On the Record."
Tahmooressi, who suffers from PTSD and served in Afghanistan, has been languishing in custody since he was arrested in late March after he accidentally drove into the country with three legally purchased guns in his truck.
"He took a wrong turn from the U.S. into Mexico, a wrong turn into the Twilight Zone," Ros-Lehtinen said. "Meanwhile, he's been in a Mexico prison, and the days languish on for him. He has been beaten, he has been chained, he has been treated terribly."
Ros-Lehtinen noted that the transcript of Obama and Nieto's meeting, in which the two discussed the surge of immigrants from Mexico into the United States, did not include any mention of Tahmooressi.
"Now, they'll probably tell us, 'Oh well the president did (mention Tahmooressi), but it's such a sensitive nature that we didn't put it down in the notes of the transcript of what was talked about,'" Ros-Letinen said. "Baloney. This is very clear that it was not talked about."
Ros-Lehtinen added that she does not trust the Mexican justice system to free Tahmooressi, as she believes it's corrupt and distrustful of American service members.
The debate over Tahmooressi comes days after his mother hired high-profile attorney Fernando Benitez Alvarez del Castillo, the Marine's third lawyer in as many weeks. Tahmooressi, 25, who served two combat tours in Afghanistan, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and has alleged mistreatment -- including being stripped naked and chained to a bed -- at the hands of his Mexican captors.
