I first met Utah Sen. Mike Lee after I left the George W. Bush administration. We were both practicing law at the time. We became friends, and we worked together in politics. Lee and I campaigned for our friend Mitt Romney when he ran for president in 2008 and again when he was the Republican nominee in 2012.
My relationship with Lee was important because when I became the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs in 2018, I knew that I could rely on him to help me bring Americans home. He was always there for our fellow Americans, especially when the hostages were connected to Utah by residency or by family and religious ties.
While I cannot discuss the details of the cases, I can tell you that Lee played — and continues to play — an important role in freeing our citizens wrongfully detained overseas.
When I became national security…
