American TV personality Montel Williams plans to show his support for Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi by testifying Wednesday in Washington, D.C. to get the Marine Reservist out of a Mexican prison.
Mexican authorities arrested Tahmooressi in March after he accidently crossed the border while driving his truck, which was carrying licensed firearms, according to WLOS. His mother, Jill, said he cross into Mexico at night by accident while he was moving to San Diego, and that the area he crossed didn't have good signals about where the border was.
Jill reached out to Williams for help, and he responded by saying he will do what he can to make more people aware of Tahmooressi's case.
"How dare we as a nation contemplate sending more of our treasures off to die, and once they put their lives on the line, we don't take care of them when they come home," Williams said in an interview.
Williams has been a huge advocate for veterans, having served in the military for 22 years while also serving time as a Marine and an officer in the Navy, 10News reported. Tahmooressi served two tours in Afghanistan. Williams said he started tweeting about the Reservist's case in May, and also wrote a letter to the Mexican president recently pleading Tahmooressi's case. Mexican prosecutors responded to the letter and explained their case.
The talk show host has expressed his frustrations with Tahmooressi's situation, saying the Obama administration and Congress should be doing more to free him and referring to their lack of involvement as "a lack of political courage."
The bond Williams formed with Tahmooressi's mother was due to illnesses that their children suffer from, since William's daughter suffers from lymphoma and Tahmooressi is diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder, 10News reported.
"This is an ill young man, a man who is suffering from combat post-traumatic stress disorder," Williams said. "He needs to have treatment with his illness. This is about compassion. He is young man who needs help. He's already said he made a mistake. Has he not served his time?"
Williams will show his support for Tahmooressi before a congressional affairs subcommittee to persuade political officials to help free the soldier from Mexico, WLOS reported.
U.S. Rep Mark Meadows (R), who will be involved in the hearing, said the hearing is important because it can put pressure on foreign governments and the United States to take appropriate action.
"The president didn't even bring it up when he spoke to the president of Mexico," Meadows said. "I can tell you that some very high officials on our side have reached out to their government to see if they can speed up the process."
Jill and Robert Buchanan, a Marine who served with Tahmooressi in Afghanistan, are also expected to testify about the case, 10News reported. The hearing serves as an opportunity for Williams to raise support for a bill demanding for Mexico to release Tahmooressi.
"The louder the screams, maybe we can get him out," Williams said.
