The claim that they were “sipping margaritas” was revealed to be completely staged nonsense, as apparently Bukele aids showed up with the props solely for the misleading photoshoot:

Mr. Bukele, in a social media post, even crowed that “Kilmar Abrego Garcia, miraculously risen from the ‘death camps’ & ‘torture,’” was “now sipping margaritas with Sen. Van Hollen in the tropical paradise of El Salvador!” But according to a person familiar with the situation, a Bukele aide placed the two glasses with cherries and salted rims on the table in front of Mr. Van Hollen and Mr. Abrego Garcia in the middle of their meeting in an attempt to stage the photo.

The Right are so comfortable lying that it’d be comical if it wasn’t so chilling.

    • gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      60
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      1 day ago

      Van Hollen shouldn’t have publicized those pictures at all, everything from the setting to the clothes they gave Garcia was a misrepresentation of what he’s going through

      • mosiacmango@lemm.ee
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        51
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        edit-2
        1 day ago

        The president of el Salvador publicized them first, while the meeting was ongoing.

        They staged the meetup for propaganda. They weren’t going to let that go to waste.

      • thesohoriots@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        21
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 day ago

        Theres no way Garcia wasn’t rushed through makeup and wardrobe hours before and only beaten with car antennas for a couple days prior so he could still get up to do the photo op.

      • FauxPseudo @lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        9
        arrow-down
        1
        ·
        1 day ago

        If they had come back and not had something resembling visual proof then it would have been conspiracy central. “Sure you did, we believe you.”

      • Steve@startrek.website
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        16
        arrow-down
        4
        ·
        1 day ago

        Seriously what a pussy. Should have surrounded him with security and walked back to the plane the second they were out in the open.

          • gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            7
            arrow-down
            3
            ·
            edit-2
            1 day ago

            Undercooked chicken? Gang activity.

            Overcooked chicken? Gang activity.

            You make an appointment with the dentist and you don’t show up? Believe it or not, gang activity.

            Edit: Downvoting because you don’t understand the joke? Absolutely gang activity.