EXCLUSIVE: STATE DEPARTMENT ISSUES RESPONSE TO AMERICAN JOURNALIST GONZALO LIRA'S DEATH
Earlier today, I reached out to the White House and State Department regarding the death of American journalist Gonzalo Lira. My inquiry was in regards to Lira dying while in Ukrainian custody.
If you are unfamiliar with Gonzalo Lira, I’d highly recommend you watch this piece by Tucker Carlson.
I have asked the White House and State Department about Lira. I asked both parties if they ever reached out to the Ukrainian government on Lira’s behalf. I also asked them if they were in touch with Lira’s family.
Unfortunately, the State Department sent me this generic response:
“Good afternoon,
The following is offered on background, attributable to a State Department spokesperson:
We take our role in assisting U.S. citizens abroad seriously and provide all appropriate assistance.
We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss.
When a U.S. citizen dies abroad, the Department provides all appropriate consular assistance to the family. Depending on the situation, this can include attempting to locate and inform the next-of-kin of the death, providing information on local burial or the return of the remains to the United States, assisting the legal representative with questions concerning the disposition of the U.S. citizen’s personal effects and/or estate, and preparing a Consular Report of Death of a U.S. Citizen Abroad.
Out of respect to the family during this difficult time, we have no further comment.
Regards,
State Department Press Office”
This statement does not cite Gonzalo Lira’s name or address any of my questions. This statement seems extremely generic. So I followed up by asking the State Department to revise their statement—they declined.
Ultimate censorship