Chris Van Hollen Distances Himself from Abrego Garcia After DOJ Charges: ‘This Has Never Been About the Man’
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) became an infamous politician this year after he flew to El Salvador to meet personally with Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an illegal alien deported by President Donald Trump’s administration after he was accused of being an MS-13 gang member, human smuggler, and domestic abuser.
Now, as the Attorney General Pam Bondi has announced trafficking charges against Abrego Garcia and is extraditing him back to the United States to face such charges, Van Hollen is distancing himself from the illegal alien.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) released a 10-page indictment against Abrego Garcia, accusing him of being deeply involved in gang violence, abuse of women he was smuggling, human smuggling, and weapons trafficking.
“This has never been about the man — it’s about his constitutional rights and the rights of all,” Van Hollen wrote in a statement on X following the news.
In Bondi’s announcement on Friday, she detailed the charges against Abrego Garcia — accusing him of being part of a massive human smuggling network that runs from Mexico well into the interior of the United States.
“This is especially disturbing … Garcia, is also alleged with transporting minor children. The defendant traded the innocence of minor children for profit. There are even more disturbing facts that the grand jury uncovered,” Bondi revealed:
It is alleged this defendant is part of the same smuggling ring responsible for the death of more than 50 migrants in 2021 after the tractor-trailer overturned in Mexico. This is part of that same ring. The defendant abused undocumented alien females, according to co-conspirators who were under his control while transporting them throughout our country. This defendant trafficked firearms and narcotics throughout our country on multiple occasions. They were using vehicles, SUVs with added seats in the back, floors that had been ripped out, guns, narcotics, children, women, MS-13 members. That is what the grand jury found. [Emphasis added]
A co-conspirator alleged that the defendant solicited nude photographs and videos of a minor. A co-conspirator also alleges the defendant played a role in the murder of a rival gang member’s mother. These facts demonstrate Abrego Garcia is a danger to our community. [Emphasis added]
Van Hollen had become so involved in attempting to return Abrego Garcia back to the U.S. that he had been in touch with the illegal alien’s wife, making phone calls to her and even going as far as to characterize Abrego Garcia as one of many “vulnerable people” being targeted by Trump.
“This is an example of the much bigger challenge, no doubt about it,” Van Hollen told the New York Times of Abrego Garcia. “Because my view is when you start picking on the most vulnerable people, and you push and push and push, and you get away with it, then you take the next bite.”
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at jbinder@breitbart.com. Follow him on Twitter here.