Joe Biden shared "devastating" news with the families of three American hostages being held in Afghanistan during a phone call on Sunday.
Anna Corbett, the wife of captive Ryan Corbett, told Fox News that she was crushed to hear from Biden that her husband is not coming home.
It's yet another black mark on Biden's dismal foreign policy record, which was marred early in his term by the disastrous and bloody withdrawal from Afghanistan in which 13 American troops were slaughtered in a terror attack.
Ryan Corbett was kidnapped on a business trip a year after the Taliban took back control of Afghanistan. His wife Anna has been fighting desperately for his return, but to no avail.
"He was very kind and empathetic, but what I heard him say is that he is not bringing Ryan home, and that was absolutely devastating because, as you just said, I have been advocating fiercely on Ryan's behalf, on my family's behalf. Ryan just keeps missing milestones," she said.
The Biden administration was in talks with the Taliban about releasing a Guantanamo Bay detainee with ties to Al-Qaeda in exchange for Corbett and two other American captives, but the negotiations broke down over the status of one of the hostages.
The Taliban disputes that dual U.S.-Afghan citizen Mahmood Habibi is wrongfully detained, but the Biden administration is reportedly refusing to agree to any deal unless Habibi is let go.
Habibi's brother has thanked Biden for his commitment to bringing him home, but the families of Ryan Corbett and George Glezmann are frustrated with Biden's position.
“President Biden and his national security adviser are choosing to leave George Glezmann in Afghanistan. A deal is available to bring him home. The White House’s inaction in this case is inhumane," the Glezmann family said in a statement.
Anna Corbett similarly called the administration's inaction "crushing."
"To hear after all this effort, there is a deal on the table, there is a way to bring Ryan home, and it's not being taken, is incredibly crushing to our family," she continued.
The slow progress from the current administration led Corbett to meet with a member of President-elect Trump's team, incoming national security adviser Michael Waltz, at Mar-A-Lago over the weekend.
Corbett said she is "extremely encouraged" by the Trump team's swift response, while noting she could not get a hold of the current administration for 16 months.
"It was just mind-blowing because it took 16 months to actually get a meeting where I traveled to DC to meet with the current national security adviser, Jake Sullivan," she said. "This shows that President Trump is very concerned, is wanting to prioritize our family. I know he's tough. He wants to make deals."
"I am extremely encouraged, and the contrast of my experience is just mind-blowing right now," she continued.
