October 10, 2024

VIDEO: Dad of Deceased ISIS Hostage Says Obama Promised Donation to Daughter’s Foundation — but Never Followed Through

WASHINGTON (TheBlaze/AP) — The White House says President Barack Obama plans to donate to the foundation honoring Kayla Mueller, an American killed by Islamic State militants last year.

A foundation in Mueller’s name seeks to honor her commitment to humanitarianism and serving the needy. But Mueller’s father told ABC News in an interview airing Friday that Obama promised during a private meeting in March 2015 to make a contribution, then never did.

In this May 30, 2013, photo, Kayla Mueller is shown after speaking to a group in Prescott, Ariz. (AP Photo/The Daily Courier, Jo. L. Keener)

In this May 30, 2013, photo, Kayla Mueller is shown after speaking to a group in Prescott, Ariz. (AP Photo/The Daily Courier, Jo. L. Keener)

White House spokesman Josh Earnest says he won’t discuss private presidential conversations. But he says Obama intends to contribute to the foundation in the future. Earnest says the organization is consistent with the types of charities the president and first lady Michelle Obama have donated to previously.

Earnest says the pain and grief Mueller’s family is expressing is “entirely understandable.”

Mueller was captured by the terrorist group in 2013 and died in 2015. The Islamic State claimed that she had died in an airstrike, but some believe Mueller was murdered while in captivity. Before she died, her parents were sent a “proof of life” video of their daughter.

The never-before-seen footage was released on Thursday after it was obtained by ABC News, ahead of a 20/20 episode with Mueller’s parents.

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