Elon Musk Condemns U.S. State Dept for Not Lifting a Finger to Secure Gonzalo Lira’s Release

X owner Elon Musk condemned the State Department on Friday for not lifting a finger to secure the release of American citizen Gonzalo Lira and leaving him to die in a Ukrainian prison.

“The Biden administration could have gotten Gonzalo Lira back with a phone call but didn’t lift a finger,” David Sacks, a friend of Musk’s, commented in a thread on X. “Therefore the Ukrainian government knew it could act with impunity. Still, the sheer brazenness to kill an American citizen in custody reveals a thuggish and unmoored regime.”

“If you want to quibble and argue that Lira wasn’t killed by the Ukrainian government, but rather he was just wrongfully imprisoned (for exercising First Amendment rights), abused and denied vital medical treatment, I don’t see much of a difference,” Sacks continued. “There was a time when even a U.S. enemy, never mind an ally, would have expelled Lira to avoid any risk of an American citizen dying in their prison. No foreign government wanted to risk America’s wrath coming down on their head.”

He added: “The fact that the Ukrainian government dared to act with such impunity must reveal the shared attitude of the Biden administration. Ie. critics have no rights; justice is weaponized. ‘For my friends, everything; for my enemies, the law.’ “

“This is super messed up!” Elon Musk responded.

This is super messed up!

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) January 12, 2024

Musk tried to press the Biden regime to secure Lira’s release just one month ago but his request went unanswered.

What is the status of this American journalist @JoeBiden? https://t.co/KBPCxU0Roa

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 10, 2023

The State Department confirmed Lira’s death on Saturday but wouldn’t even say his name.

From Tass, “US authorities confirm death of reporter Gonzalo Lira in custody in Ukraine”:

The US Department of State has confirmed the accuracy of data about the death of reporter Gonzalo Lira, a citizen of Chile and the US, in prison in Ukraine.

“We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in Ukraine. We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss,” a representative of the Department of State told a TASS correspondent in response to a request to comment on the information that Lira died in jail.

“We stand ready to provide all appropriate consular assistance. Out of respect to the family during this difficult time, we have no further comment,” the official added.

Gonzalo’s father held the State Department, Joe Biden and the Zelensky regime responsible for his son’s death in a statement to the media on Friday.

“I cannot accept the way my son has died. He was tortured, extorted, incommunicado for 8 months and 11 days and the US Embassy did nothing to help my son,” Gonzalo Lira, Sr. said. “The responsibility of this tragedy is the dictator Zelensky with the concurrence of a senile American President, Joe Biden.”