REPORT: Trump Signed Off On $2 Million Hospital Bill From North Korea Before 2017 Release Of US Hostage

The Washington Post reports:

North Korea issued a $2 million bill for the hospital care of comatose American Otto Warmbier, insisting that a U.S. official sign a pledge to pay it before being allowed to fly the University of Virginia student from Pyongyang in 2017.

The presentation of the invoice — not previously disclosed by U.S. or North Korean officials — was extraordinarily brazen even for a regime known for its aggressive tactics.

But the main U.S. envoy sent to retrieve Warmbier signed an agreement to pay the medical bill on instructions passed down from President Trump, according to two people familiar with the situation. They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The White House has declined to comment. It’s not known if the bill was ever actually paid. Warmbier’s father says the bill sounds like a “ransom.”

The notion, which Trump has perpetuated, that Kim Jon Un didn't know about Otto Warmbier's condition was always absurd. This scoop by @annafifield that North Korea billed the U.S. $2 million for Warmbier's medical care only implicates the NK regime further https://t.co/ri6fm5P7JI

— Shane Harris (@shaneharris) April 25, 2019