U.S. Officials Travel To Haiti After President Assassinated, Don’t Send Military Assistance

United States officials traveled to Haiti over the weekend in order to meet with Haitian officials following the assassination of the Haitian president last week. 

As reported by The Hill, authorities from the Departments of Justice, Homeland Security, and State as well as the White House National Security Council (NSC) went to Haiti to look into the security status of the country and help with the investigation. 

“NSC spokeswoman Emily Horne said that U.S. officials met with Acting Prime Minister Claude Joseph and Prime Minister-Designate Ariel Henry in a joint meeting ‘to encourage open and constructive dialogue to reach a political accord that can enable the country to hold free and fair elections.’ The U.S. delegation also met with Joseph Lambert, who leads Haiti’s Senate,” the outlet noted. 

“The delegation reviewed the security of critical infrastructure with Haitian government officials and met with the Haitian National Police, who are leading the investigation into the assassination,” Horne said.

“In all their meetings the delegation committed to supporting the Haitian government as it seeks justice in this case and affirmed the United States’ support for the people of Haiti in this challenging time,” she continued. “The United States stands with Haiti in becoming a safer, more democratic country.”

As The Daily Wire previously reported, the interim prime minister of Haiti asked the United States to send members of its military to Haiti in order to help with unrest. 

“The New York Times reported Friday afternoon that a Haitian official had requested U.S. troops on the island, about 700 miles off the coast of Florida. The Associated Press has since reported that Claude Joseph, the interim prime minister, has made such a request,” The Daily Wire noted. 

“We definitely need assistance and we’ve asked our international partners for help,” he said. “We believe our partners can assist the national police in resolving the situation.”

It seems, however, that the United States is not planning to send troops to the island and instead sent some officials. 

“There are no plans to provide U.S. military assistance at this time,” a senior administration official told NPR.

“In response to the Haitian government’s request for security and investigative assistance, we will be sending senior FBI and [Department of Homeland Security] officials to Port-au-Prince as soon as possible to assess the situation and how we may be able to assist,” the official added. 

“Speaking on Fox News Sunday, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said the FBI and DHS officials would work to determine ‘what we can do to help them in the investigative process,’” per NPR. 

“I think that’s really where our energies are best applied right now in helping them get their arms around investigating this incident and figuring out who’s culpable, who’s responsible, and how best to hold them accountable going forward,” Kirby said.

Haitian authorities have said that “they have arrested two U.S. citizens and more than a dozen Colombian nationals on accusations that the group killed the president while masquerading as DEA Agents,” The Daily Wire previously reported.

As The Hill reported on Monday, “Haitian authorities say that 28 people were involved in the assassination, including 26 Colombians and two Haitian Americans. Several suspects have been arrested by Haitian authorities.”

A doctor based in Florida was also arrested as a “key suspect” in the assassination, according to The New York Times. The national police chief reportedly said at a press conference that he thought the suspect was carrying out a plot to become president.

“To date, some two dozen people have been arrested in the killing, but on Sunday, Haitian officials described the doctor, Christian Emmanuel Sanon, 63, as a central figure in the case,” The Times reported. 

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