Let’s be clear, an American citizen was imprisoned by a nation, to which we are giving billions of dollars, for simply exercising free speech by criticizing Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky and praising the Russian invasion.
Apparently such free speech is illegal in Ukraine, which would arguably be none of our business if it wasn’t for the fact that American arms and treasure are the only thing protecting that nation from Russian domination.
Put simply, as long as Americans are footing the bill for Ukraine’s existence, they need to avoid letting our citizens die mysteriously in their prisons.
Lira was arrested for his criticism of Ukraine in May, released on bail and then arrested again, supposedly for violating his release terms as he was actively trying to leave the country.
That’s right, all he wanted to do was leave the war zone of Ukraine and continue his work but that was not good enough for the country that is supposed to be keeping Europe safe for Democracy.
Now Lira is dead, he died under the care of our ally, and the American people deserve answers from the Biden administration about how that was allowed to happen.
After all, President Biden isn’t shy about criticizing the arrest of American journalists on ridiculous charges when Russia does it, look no further than the horrible case of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gerskovich.
Gerskovich was arrested nearly a year ago, on trumped up charges after he criticized Putin’s government, and in that case the White House responded as Americans have a right to expect.
Here is what Biden had to say about that arrest, “I’m serious about doing what we can to free Americans who are being illegally held in Russia or anywhere else for that matter. And that process is underway.”
Anywhere else? Really? How about in Ukraine, Joe?
Why did it take days for the State Department to even confirm Lira’s death? Did the United States ever even ask Ukraine about him, or why he was detained, or if he could come home?
According to X posts by journalist Breanna Morello the State Department refuses to even answer that question.
An American sat dying in a Ukrainian prison and Joe Biden’s State Department can’t even be bothered to respond to inquiries about him.
Apparently in Biden’s eyes Ukraine can do no wrong, not even when its actions lead directly to the death of an innocent American citizen.
A cynic might suggest that the Biden administration’s see no evil, hear no evil approach to the Lira case betrays the fact that they do not believe that critics of Ukraine, or conservatives in general deserve the protection of their government.
This is entirely in line with Biden cheering the hundreds of years in prison that January 6th participants have been sentenced to in the same week when pro terrorist protesters tried to invade the White House while assaulting Washington DC police with no arrests.
This is the same Joe Biden who says that democracy is on the ballot in 2024 while his Department of Justice is persecuting and prosecuting his main political rival, Donald Trump, and whose White House is colluding with local authorities in Georgia to do the exact same thing.
The only principle that Joe Biden knows and respects is power, and so he couldn’t care less if Americans who are not inclined to vote for him, or worse criticize him or his friends, are literally left to die.
Americans have been disposed to support Ukraine in its defensive war against Russia but the disgraceful behavior of both that nation and our own president in the case of Gonzalo Lira cannot help but weaken that support.
Furthermore, the obfuscation by the White House over Lira’s circumstances makes it difficult to believe anything that Biden tells us about the situation in Ukraine or how the conflict is going.
Worse, if every American journalist in Ukraine knows that criticism of Zelensky could land them in prison, as shown by Lira’s example, then how can we trust any news coming out of the region?
Joe Biden claims that he is the president of all Åmericans, even those who didn’t vote for him. His actions clearly tell us otherwise.
Gonzalo Lira’s blood is on Joe Biden’s hands and as the President of the United States he needs to answer for it.
