them. they ve got a particular grudge on current missionaries in venezuela all of whom i think have left and mormon missionaries. so two white house national security council officials tell the u.s. offered nothing to venezuela for holt s release, many americans didn t know he was being held. but then come to find out we saw some video of him you know pleading for some kind of assistance. what would have had to be promised or given exchange for his release, you he? well, first of all, nobody is talking about if there was a quid pro quo. i don t really know. you are saying nothing was offered? we don t know, it maybe, we do not know. you got to remember the government of venezuela is desperate right now. the economy is in free fall. they ve got 15,000 percent inflation. so they need? it is an active dictatorship.
to you personally for everything that you ve done, as well as the state department. not really the great vacation that i was looking for. just so grateful for what you guys have done and for thinking about me and caring about me, just a normal person. so it really touches me, and i thank you. you ve been very brace, actually. you ve been incredibly brave. we saw what was happening inside of that prison. so you really have been very, very brave. abby: all right. so it tell you josh holt s story just in the past two years, he went over there two years ago, he was a mormon missionary, he went over there to meet his wife, 26 years old, he s from riverton, utah. accused of compiling weapons, that s what the venezuela government said, so they put him behind bars for two years. this has been a work in process, as you know, griff, that s why you have the center senator there orrin hatch of hewitt to get this guy released. it has been a long process.
thank you very much. everybody. ed: well, to say the least, not a usual saturday night at the white house, especially not on a memorial day weekend. i m ed henry in new york. you have been seeing the president of the united states in the white house with joshua holt. he is a mormon missionary to traveled to venezuela from utah to marry a woman he met there. his parents were there as well as his wife and daughter. senator mike lee grew emotional as he said our country is now your country both in english and spanish. this caps a remarkable two-year journey for joshua holt and his wife and daughter. he had been in a prison in
nation s largest banks, and a local approach with a focus on customized insights. so you and your company are ready for today. only remfresh usesody s ion-powered melatonin to deliver up to 7 hours of sleep support. number one sleep doctor recommended remfresh-your nightly sleep companion. available in the natural sleep section at walmart. breaking news. president trump about an hour ago tweeted that josh holt, a prisoner, 26 years old, in venezuela prison, will be coming home. he s a mormon missionary from utah. he s been jailed since 2016 after he traveled to venezuela to marry a woman he met on line. police had alleged that he was stockpiling weapons and grenades in public housing. so he s been held for two years. the president saying good news about the release of the american hostage from venezuela. should be landing in d.c. this
orrin hatch. i think the president might deserve some credit, but the efforts that go into these releases date back months and more and they involve a lot of people, including foes of the president. so what i m hoping to see is that the president says, yeah, my administration was involved in this, but there s people across the board who were critically important here, including my rival, bob corker. that s a very good point, phil. president trump expected to make a statement tonight on the holt release. we know the president loves these made-for-tv moments. how do you think he ll attempt to paint this diplomatic win and take credit along the lines of what phil was alluding to? he is almost certainly going to be taking a victory lap tonight with regard to the release of this mormon missionary and his wife. as phil mudd shrewdly pointed out earlier, this president often likes to use the issues of american hostages held overseas as sort of a lack of a better