warren was 72 years old, from rockville, maryland outside washington washington d.c. he had been held since 2011. president obama said he declass tide the information because the families deserve to know the truth. today we join their families and friends in honoring warren and geovani, two humanitarians who came from different countryings united by a spirit of service. there could be no starker contrast between these selfless men and their al qaeda captors. i m joined by nbc chief pentagon correspondent and chief foreign correspondent richard engle. when did the u.s. learn it made this tragic mistake? according to senior officials, there were two separate drone air strikes conducted by the cia in the rugged hindu area along the pakistan border. we re led to believe it was most likely across the border these two strikes occurred january 14 january 19. in one of the strikes, the american warren weinstein and the i tal can, two aid workers killed in that strike along with
truth that in the fog of war, generally, and our fight against terrorists specifically mistakes sometimes, deadly mistakes, can occur. but one of the things that sets america apart from many other nations, one of the things that makes us exceptional is our willing to confront squarely our imperfections and to learn from our mistakes. a statement following the white house announcement the weinstein family said they were devastated but those who took warren captive over three years ago were ultimate responsibility. without providing specific details, the family of the two hostages would be compensated for their deaths. joining me now, senior policy at the center of american progress, brian katlus. and senior affairs for politico michael crowley. brian, let me start with you. we are given, the president is clearly making a bit of transparency but still the white house in the press briefing with josh earnest did not say the words drone strike. i wonder from your assessment, wha
the book s awe says he plans to go after jeb bush next. let s get to it. now, live on fox news channel, shepard smith reporting. good afternoon from our studio in oxford, mississippi. the white house says counterterror operations killed two american citizens working for al qaeda. but also two hostages, one american and one italian. the president says the deaths were an accident. the american hostage was warren wine steen in this 70s a professor working others a contractor in pakistan when he was kidnapped outside his home. the white house says weinstein and the italian hostage died in one of two operations in january. a senior defense official tells fox news the cia used a drone. president obama says officials did not think any civilians were at the compound at the. today the president offered kole don t lenses to the host yang s family and takes responsibility. i profoundly regret what happened. on behalf of the united states government offer our deepest apologies to
house with more details for us. peter? reporter: the words that we heard from the podium in the last hour like painful, cruel and bitter are not words that you normally hear from an american president. but president obama is taking responsibility and saying sorry to the families of two innocent hostages killed by an american drone; american warren weinstein and italian giovanni lo porto. i profoundly regret what happened. on behalf of the united states government, i offer our deepest apologies to the families. as soon as we determined the cause of their deaths, i directed that the existence of this operation be declassified and disclosed publicly. i did so because the weinstein and lo porto families deserve to know the truth. reporter: the anguished family of warren weinstein is now responding with a statement. quote: we were so hopeful that those in the u.s. and pakistani governments with the power to take action and secure his release would have done everything possib
giovanni lo porto. weinstein s neighbor said his wife never gave up hope he would return home. spoke about her husband in the here and now, the present, keeping the house open and ready for his return. i know that that she inspired us to keep him alive in our minds, in our hearts. that s why we all have ribbons on our trees. also killed two americans that joined al qaeda, both prominent members of the group. president obama said he profoundly regrets what happened. as a husband and as a father i cannot begin to imagine the anguish the weinstein and lo porto families are enduring today. i realize there are no words that can ever equal their loss. i know there is nothing i can ever say or do to ease their heart ache. here s what we know now. four men were killed in two acceptseparate air strikes on the pakistani border. president obama did not know the hostages were secretly held at the compound. let s listen now as the white house has a briefing. for the operation an