Rep. McCaul: We betrayed the man who helped locate bin Laden | The Record with Greta Van Susteren

about the heroic acts of those responsible for killing Osama bin laden in 2011. And they were heroic. But one man's heroism is rarely discussed because he's been disposed of by the U.S. government. What has happened to this man who should have? This should embarrass every American. His story traces back to the tragic events of 23 years ago today. Again, if you're just joining us tonight in a U.S. operation, bin laden has been captured and killed. Sources tell CBS news that Osama bin laden, the leader of al Qaeda, is dead. It has now happened. Bin laden is dead. The man behind the deadly nine over 11 attacks that changed America is dead. Osama bin laden is dea. Tonight, I can report to the American people and to the world that the United States has conducted an operation that killed Osama bin laden, the leader of al Qaeda, and a terrorist who's responsible for the murder of thousands of innocent men, women and children. We give thanks for the men who carried out this operation for they exemplify the professionalism, patriotism and unparalleled courage of those who serve our country. But one man's life risking service in this operation has not sparked gratitude. In fact, the opposite has happened. This man, a hero to the American people, languishes in solitary confinement in a prison in Pakistan. He has been left behind by the U.S. government after helping the CIA find and identify Osama bin laden. So bin laden could be killed. The hero's name, Doctor Shakil Afridi, husband and father of three, doctor and prisoner in 2009, in his native Pakistan, doctor Afridi worked in a vaccination program. Some say it was a legitimate program, others say it was a front created to help the CIA find and identify a person they believe might be Osama bin laden. Doctor Afridi claims he was recruited by the CIA, though he also said he was never told about the CIA's goal. In other words, no mention of Osama bin laden. According to a 2015 article in National Geographic, Doctor Afridi was able through the vaccination program to obtain a key phone number. That phone number belonged to the man long suspected of being bin Laden's official courier. That information convinced President Obama on April 30th, 2011, to greenlight the Navy Seal team. 6th May first, 2011 operation. It was a success. Bin laden was identified and eliminated in the days following bin Laden's death, Pakistani agents went on a hunt. They hunted for anyone who had recently approached the bin laden compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan that included Doctor Afridi. On May 23rd, Doctor Afridi was arrested by the Pakistani intelligence service. The ISI. The ISI stated that Doctor Afridi, at the time of his arrest, was trying to flee Pakistan to Afghanistan and about seven months later, in January of 2012, then-U.S. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta appeared on CBS 60 minutes. Pakistan and the United States have a common cause here against terrorism. For them to take this kind of action against somebody who was helping to go after terrorism, I just think is a real mistake on their part. They should free him. I think, you know, they can take whatever steps they want to do to discipline him, but ultimately he ought to be released. One month later, in February of 2012, then California Congressman Dana Rohrabacher added this there is nothing that could suggest that Pakistan is cooperating with us in the fight against terrorism when they have Doctor Afridi, the man who helped us get Osama bin laden in prison and are treating him this way. That is their decision of non-cooperation. And then one year after the United States secretly had entered Pakistan to seize and kill bin laden, doctor Afridi was sentenced to 33 years in prison. Though oddly, his conviction and 33 year sentence were not for helping the CIA. Instead Pakistan convicted doctor Afridi on charges of aiding a now defunct Islamic militant group. The reasons for this arrest are still not entirely clear, and that Islamic militant group Lashkar e Islam said at the time that it had no links to Doctor Afridi. This court document was provided by the Afridi family. It reads. Quote. He allegedly provided not only vital information to the defunct Lashkar e Islam, but also provided financial support and medical treatment to the injured militants of the said organization, meaning Lashkar e Islam. He then abetted the anti-state elements that had waged a war against the state of Pakistan. End quote. This second charge would be dismissed in 2014 as a result of the dismissal of the second charge, doctor free sentence was reduced from 33 years to 23 years. It is notable that Doctor Afridi's sentence was handed down on May 23rd, 2012. That is exactly one year to the day that he was arrested. At the time, Doctor Afridi's sentence sparked bewilderment for many, including the late U.S. Senator John McCain and then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. All of us are outraged at the imprisonment and sentence of some 33 years, virtually a death sentence to the doctor in Pakistan who was instrumental, not on purpose, but was instrumental in completely innocent instrumentan the removal of Osama bin laden. This action by Doctor Afridi was not in any way a betrayal of Pakistan. And we will continue to press it with the government of Pakistan. Since 2011, when bin laden was killed, the United States has sent Pakistan a staggering $9.6 billion in aid since 2014, three years after the United States went into Pakistan with Doctor Afridi's help to get bin laden, Congress began withholding $33 million a year in that aid. This number is symbolic of the original 33 year sentence handed down to Doctor Afridi. But face it, $33 million against that $9.6 billion in aid is a pitiful amount. And, you know, it has had zero impact on Pakistan since Doctor Afridi continues to rot in a Pakistani prison 13 years later. So it is time. Actually, it's 13 years late for Congress and the white House to pull the plug on any further money to Pakistan until Doctor Afridi is released. Not one more dime that would prove American honor matters. We should never leave anyone on the battlefield. But we did, doctor Afridi. I find it disgraceful that our nation has abandoned Doctor Afridi. So I went to Capitol Hill to speak with House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul to discuss Doctor Afridi. Mr. chairman, most of us who are old enough to remember where we were on nine over 11, we hunted Osama bin laden for a long time. For many years, the United States wanted him from the time those those buildings went down and the Pentagon was hit and the plane went down in Pennsylvania. And it wasn't until 2011 that the United States located him ten years later in Pakistan. And there was a man who a doctor who was said to have helped us locate him, named Doctor Afridi, after he was after after bin laden was eliminated, some time later, about three weeks later, Doctor Afridi was arrested and put in prison for 33 years. You know, just like leaving our Afghan allies behind. Betrayal. How are our allies going to trust us when this is how we treat them? You know, Doctor Afridi played an instrumental role in gathering DNA evidence out of the province. The compound, through a vaccine program that enabled the CIA to determine that this was indeed, in all likelihood, Osama bin laden. And the reward that we give him is we allow the Pakistanis to imprison him, and we make no efforts to get him out. So how do we stop that? We give Pakistan a tremendous amount of money. Americans are generous. And I know $33 million has been held back every year. Is symbolic for the 33 years he got in prison for what are basically false charges, because they were angry at him for helping us get bin laden, who they were, I believe hiding next to their military installation in Abbottabad. But why can't we withhold all our money? Well, I mean, first of all, I was in Abbottabad right after the killing of Bin laden. Pakistanis are very angry and embarrassed about what happened. And we flew over. We met with Zardari, the president in Karachi, they have a very dangerous nuclear program in Pakistan. As you know, you know, the father of the Muslim atomic bomb, A.Q. Khan, A.Q. Khan started this. He proliferates it to Iran and North Korea, since that time, we appropriated a large amount of money that's in the classified space to protect that arsenal, we do withhold 33 million a year, in the hopes that they'll release Afridi. He's being held on separate charges relating to affiliation with the terrorist organization, which he denies, which he denies, which he denies is probably falsified for all I know, and the organization? No longer exists. By the way, pressure. We need to put pressure on the package, and. But it's been since 2011. And so a sense of American honor leaving someone on the battlefield. I mean, this was we wanted bin laden so badly after what he did to us. This man helps us. He ends up in prison for 33 years. And it isn't isn't times up that we should do something to get him back here? The irony is this to Greg is the ISI the Pakistani intelligence service, in my judgment, were aware that bin laden was in Abbottabad, the West Point Academy of Pakistan. They were complicit with harboring the biggest terrorists in the world. Yet Afridi's in jail, in prison for having associations with a minor terror organization that no longer exists. So what can we do? I mean, because it's really a question of American honor. How can we I mean, we owe him something. We he's already been in prison way too long. I agree. You know, my committee, we raise the volume, but we've done that. We've sent letters and talk about this, you know, funding is always the best tool to get results, the danger, though, of cutting our security funding for the nuclear components. Has to be taken into consideration on this one. How about a swap of some sort? I mean, we swap. We gave the arms merchant back to Russia. I mean, we swap all the time. I mean, you know, we do prisoner swaps. No, that's exactly right. Now this doesn't he's not an American. So, you know, the Levinson act doesn't apply. Our envoy for hostages does not work on this case. Perhaps that's an avenue we could take to make an exception for him. But you're right. You know, Griner at basketball star is traded. She had a vape pipe. That was her offense. And the merchant of death from Russia gets swapped. So it seems to me this guy is a patriot. An American hero who turned over bin laden to our intelligence community for an execution. And he should be rewarded for that. And shame on even the American media. We just dropped him like a hot cake. You know, nobody talks about him just like Afghanistan. Who's going to trust us if your allies no longer trust you, you've got a problem. And if your enemies no longer fear you, then you have a very dangerous world, Mr. Chairman. Thank you sir. Thanks, Craig. Here's another idea. Let's just make them American. If