During an interview with ABC News on Tuesday, President Donald Trump said that he could tell El Salvador to return Kilmar Abrego Garcia but “I’m not the one making this decision. We have lawyers who don’t want to do this,” and “If I were the president that just wanted to do anything, I’d probably keep him right where he is.” But he would push El Salvador if he thought Abrego Garcia was a good person.
While discussing the Abrego Garcia case, ABC News Senior National Correspondent Terry Moran said, “You could get him back. There’s a phone on this desk, you could pick it up and with all the power of the presidency, you could call up the president of El Salvador and say, send him back right now.”
Trump responded, “I could. And if he were the gentleman that you say he is, I would do that.”
Moran then cut in to say that there is a court order. Trump responded, “I’m not the one making this decision. We have lawyers who don’t want to do this, Terry. … I follow the law. You want me to follow the law. If I were the president that just wanted to do anything, I’d probably keep him right where he is.”
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