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July 6, 2023

Biden Nominates Elliott Abrams, Death Squad Backer Convicted of Lying to Congress, to Gov't Commission
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President Biden has nominated Elliott Abrams to the bipartisan U.S.
Advisory Commission on Public Diplomacy. Elliott Abrams was convicted in
1991 of lying to Congress about the Iran-Contra affair, and later
pardoned by then-President George H.W. Bush. He defended death squads in
Guatemala and El Salvador in the 1980s, when he served as assistant
secretary of state under President Ronald Reagan. Abrams dismissed
reports that El Salvador's U.S.-trained military had massacred 1,000
civilians, including children, in the Salvadoran town of El Mozote in
December 1981. He has also been linked to the 2002 attempted coup
against Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez and helped plan the U.S.
invasion of Iraq. Under President Trump, Abrams served as special envoy
to Iran and Venezuela. Abrams will need to be confirmed by the Senate to
serve on the commission.


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