WASHINGTON: The White House has said it stands by the comment of US President Donald Trump in which he said that Pakistan had given the US nothing but "lies and deceit" in return for USD 33 billion aid.
"The United States has foolishly given Pakistan more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years, and they have given us nothing but lies & deceit, thinking of our leaders as fools. They give safe haven to the terrorists we hunt in Afghanistan, with little help. No more!" Trump had said in his first tweet of the year.
"Yes," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders yesterday told reporters at her daily news conference when asked if she stands by the comments the president made in the tweet.
Following his tweet, the Trump administration suspended about USD 2 billion in security assistance to Pakistan.
"Our position is firm: that we believe that withdrawing that aid is important," Sanders told reporters in response to another question.