Obama meets parents of slain journalist Steven Sotloff
Family had previously criticized White House failure to rescue him from Islamic State
President Obama met with the parents of slain journalist Steven Sotloff several months after they criticized the White House for its handling of their son’s death.
The White House announced that Obama met with Art and Shirley Sotloff on Thursday during a trip to Miami.
Sotloff was captured by Islamic State in Syria, and beheaded nine months ago.
“The President expressed his and the First Lady’s condolences for Steven’s death,” Bernadette Meehan, National Security spokesperson, wrote in a statement. “He appreciated the chance to hear from the Sotloffs more about Steven’s work as a journalist, including his passion for bringing the stories of people who are suffering to the rest of the world in the hope of making a positive difference, including in Syria.”
After Sotloff’s death, his family criticized the White House for leaking questionable reports that Sotloff and James Foley, the first American journalist to be beheaded by ISIS, were killed on the same day. On CNN, a spokesman for the family criticized the U.S. government’s inability to put aside political “bureaucratic infighting” and rescue Sotloff.
Steven Sotloff, who was Jewish and grew up in Miami, published articles from Syria, Egypt and Libya in various publications, including Time, the World Affairs Journal and Foreign Policy. He had deep roots in Israel, and held Israeli citizenship.