Hoo Boy: Here's How That Grandstanding Trip to El Salvador Went for Chris Van Hollen

Democrats really have no idea how their actions are playing with the American pubic.

As we reported, Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) announced he was going to El Salvador to discuss the release of Kllmar Ábrego García, saying he was working to bring him "home." On Wednesday, Van Hollen claimed he was "illegally abducted."

I just landed in San Salvador a little while ago, and I look forward to meeting with the team at the U.S. embassy to discuss the release of Mr. Abrego Garcia.

I also hope to meet with Salvadoran officials and with Kilmar himself. He was illegally abducted and needs to come home. pic.twitter.com/MzKe7U8Wwr
— Senator Chris Van Hollen (@ChrisVanHollen) April 16, 2025

He was absolutely inundated by people on X blasting him for wanting to bring an illegal alien and alleged MS-13 gang member back to the U.S, Some pointed out while he was going all in for an illegal alien, how he couldn't even be bothered to pick up a phone to call Rachel Morin's family. A Salvadoran man was convicted of killing Morin, an actual constituent from Maryland, on Tuesday, the same day Van Hollen announced his effort. Others noted that Garcia was already "home" since he was a citizen of El Salvador.

Now, if anyone was laying bets on how this was going to work out for Van Hollen, it wouldn't have been too hard to guess that he wasn't going to be successful in his virtue signaling effort--by just showing up in El Salvador and asking to speak to Abrego Garcia. And surprise, surprise, he wasn't. But hey, it's all about the photo op.

NEW: Maryland Senator @ChrisVanHollen says his request made to the VP of El Salvador to visit Kilmar Abrego Garcia was denied.

The senator said he was told by the Vice President "you need to make earlier provisions to visit CECOT.”

Van Hollen says he wasn’t able to meet with… pic.twitter.com/FRBYuutcNY
— Ali Bradley (@AliBradleyTV) April 16, 2025

Van Hollen said he made the request to the the Vice President of El Salvador and was denied; The El Salvadorean official told the senator that he had to "make earlier provisions to visit CECOT.” Van Hollen said he wasn’t able to meet with Abrego Garcia or have a phone conversation with him. Um, he could have tried to call him from the U.S., but then he wouldn't have had the photo op.

He said the VP told him, maybe if the American Embassy were to ask. Oh, you mean like if you went through the proper process, where the Executive Branch carries out the foreign policy of the U.S, and not random senators acting for cameras?

That's what you would call "rejected."

Van Hollen was in a foreign country undermining the policy of the U.S., and claiming the Trump administration was "lying about Ábrego García." Can we talk about the Logan Act again? He also wanted to tell a sovereign nation what to do with one of their own citizens. He called on the President of El Salvador to let Abrego Garcia “walk out” of the prison and come back to the U.S., claiming he was "abducted."

So I want to know: How much the American taxpayers' money was used for this entirely predictable result, from his grandstanding folly, when he could have done all this basically from the United States? Do Democrats realize that trying to get back an illegal alien, alleged MS-13 gang member who also, now reportedly, had his wife file protective orders against him is not a good look?