Thread by @BasedMikeLee

You’ve made whatever point you wanted to make by imprisoning him and claiming (quite misleadingly) that you’re treating him the same as you would a Japanese national. You’ve made your point poorly and counterproductively, but whatever—it’s time to bring your standoff to an end.

Let’s face it, @kishida230, you’ve got a really good security arrangement with the United States, and you’ve had the luxury of not having that arrangement discussed or seriously questioned in Congress for a long time. That’s about to change.

Why would you rock the boat by throwing one of our best and brightest in prison for three years—all because of a car accident that, tragic as it was, resulted from a non-foreseeable medical emergency.

If you transfer Lt. Alkonis back to the U.S. before midnight on February 28, 2023, we will do our best to forget that this whole thing never happened. It will be hard, but we will try.

If, however, he’s not on U.S. soil by then, many of us will work equally hard to make sure America knows (1) what a good security arrangement you have with the U.S., (2) what you did to one of the best and brightest our military has to offer, and (3) what we should do about it.

If you’re willing to do this to Lt. Alkonis, why should we trust that you won’t do the same to others? As our brave men and women are keeping you safe, what are you doing to make sure they’re treated fairly and respectfully?

The fact that you—like Lt. Alkonis—are far away from us doesn’t mean that your actions will go unnoticed here.

Out of respect for you and your relationship with the United States, there are a lot of us who have remained relatively quiet about all of this, hoping that it would give you the chance to do the right thing.

I still hold out hope that you will. But my approach to all of this is about to change.

And make no mistake, it will change if Lt. Alkonis isn’t back on U.S. soil by 11:59 pm EST on February 28, 2023.

I love Japan, and am grateful for the relationship our countries have long enjoyed. Please keep it strong, and don’t weaken it as you have by imprisoning Lt. Alkonis.

It’s time for a candid discussion of what you did to Lt. Alkonis and his family. It’s time to heal this senseless wound. It’s time to #BringRidgeHome.

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