Denis McDonough appeared to slip up in an interview with ABC when he revealed the previously unknown name on an American being held by ISIS:
Asked the ABC News anchor: “We also have that threat from ISIS. Any hope of saving that second Japanese hostage? And do we have any information on the American woman still being held?”
“Well, the president had a good talk overnight our time here with Prime Minister Abe, underscoring our continued support for and partnership with the Japanese. They making this huge investment halfway around the world like we are in Iraq and Syria against ISIS,” said McDonough.
“And as it relates to our hostages, we are obviously continuing to work those matters very, very aggressively. We are sparing no expense, and sparing no effort, both in trying to make sure that we know where they are and make sure that we’re prepared to do anything we must to try to get them home. But [REDACTED] family knows how strongly the president feels about this. And we will continue to work this.”
The name of the American woman being held by ISIS was previously unnamed.
McDonough’s mistake was first noticed by ABC foreign editor Jon Williams:
Whoops! On #ThisWeek WH Chief of Staff McDonough just named American woman being held hostage by #ISIS. Not previously been named.
— Jon Williams (@WilliamsJon) January 25, 2015
UPDATE: Citing security concerns, someone close to the family of the named ISIS hostage asked for her name to be removed from this post.
