President Joe Biden said he is concerned but waiting for more details to emerge after Haitian President Jovenel Moise was assassinated and his wife injured during an attack on their home.
“We need a lot more information, but it is very worrisome about the state of Haiti,” Biden said at the White House Wednesday before boarding Marine One for a trip to Illinois.
BIDEN HAS LOST HIS PATIENCE WITH THE ‘NEGATIVE’ PRESS CORPS BEFORE SIX-MONTH MARK
.@POTUS says he’ll soon put out a statement said assassination of Haitian President was worrisome but he needs to see more information pic.twitter.com/oFQDIJyCy4
— Christian Datoc (@TocRadio) July 7, 2021
The White House released a statement on Biden’s behalf as he took off from the South Lawn that reiterated the president’s shock and sadness over the “horrific” assassination.
“We condemn this heinous act, and I am sending my sincere wishes for First Lady [Martine] Moïse’s recovery,” he said. “The United States offers condolences to the people of Haiti, and we stand ready to assist as we continue to work for a safe and secure Haiti.”
Jovenel Moise died when an unidentified group clad in black claiming to be members of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration breached his private residence above the hills of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, around 1 a.m. Wednesday, according to reports. Locals told reporters they heard high-powered rounds fired and a grenade explode and witnessed drones flying overhead.
Some of the assailants allegedly spoke Spanish, while others had American accents, but a Haitian official told the Miami Herald they were all “mercenaries.”
“The country’s security situation is under the control of the National Police of Haiti and the Armed Forces of Haiti,” Claude Joseph, the interim prime minister, said in a statement from his office. “Democracy and the republic will win.”
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Moise, 53, had been in power since 2017 after a disputed election in 2015. His term had been marked by controversy, including allegations of links to armed gangs and corruption accusations. His death has created a constitutional crisis as the country grapples with a struggling economy and poor social outcomes exacerbated by high gas prices.
