There is no evidence for former President Donald Trump’s repeated claims that “the Congo” has emptied prisons to allow violent criminals to come to the US border as migrants – and the governments of both the Democratic Republic of Congo and the neighboring Republic of Congo say Trump’s assertions are entirely false.

“Everything he is saying isn’t true,” Democratic Republic of Congo spokesperson Patrick Muyaya Katembwe told CNN in a text message on Thursday. Asked specifically about Trump’s claims about Congolese prisons being emptied of violent criminals, he said, “Never ever, it’s not true.” And, he said, “we want him to stop” telling these stories, since “it’s very bad for the country.”

Serge Mombouli, the Republic of Congo’s ambassador to the US, said in an email to CNN on Friday: “There is no truth or any sign nor a single fact supporting such a claim or statement.”

    • GladiusB@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      Interesting question. I believe political speeches are protected in some ways. Calls to violence such as Jan 6 is not. Lying your ass off about everything else is. But I am not 100 percent clear.

    • livus@mander.xyz
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      9 months ago

      They have much bigger fish to fry at the moment. Particularly the DRC which is facing hostility from Rwanda and an incursion of a military force.

      • spamfajitas@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        It sounds like one of Trump’s speech writers managed to concoct a double whammy that panders to both great replacement conspiracy theorists and border security idiots. Has anyone seen Stephen Miller recently?

        • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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          9 months ago

          Life Pro Tip.

          When you’re telling this kind of lie, the little details matter. All the MAGoos grew up reading Tarzan and they know that The Congo is in deepest, darkest part of Africa.

          • Random_Character_A@lemmy.world
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            9 months ago

            But their world comprises of…

            • Mutherfucking US of Aaaaaaaaa
            • Canadian wankers
            • Mexicans
            • More southern Mexicans
            • French
            • Europeans
            • Ruskies
            • Tribal Africans
            • Chaiiiiina
            • Asians
            • Perl Harbour people
            • Dagwood222@lemm.ee
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              9 months ago

              I can’t find the actual cartoon.

              The Democratic world map shows the USA with Red and Blue states, the other countries in varied colors, and there are a few black patches marked 'Terrorists!"

              The GOP map shows the Red states and everything else, including the oceans, is Terrorist!

  • Limeey@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    I don’t get why a Central African country would try to send their prisoners halfway around the world - that would be insanely expensive and a logistical nightmare.

    I feel like Trump must think the Congo is in South America instead of Africa…

    • Pwnmode@lemmy.world
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      9 months ago

      He definitely thinks.its in Central/South America. To be fair if he was corrected he would not admit it, so we won’t ever know.

    • SomeoneElse@lemmy.ca
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      9 months ago

      I’m from the UK and our disgusting government is shipping immigrants that arrive on small boats to Rwanda for some fucking reason. None of these people seeking a better place to live are actually from Rwanda. Never mind that our own Supreme Court ruled Rwanda is not a safe country. That’s where we’re ship people off to. It’s absolutely insane.

      • Limeey@lemmy.world
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        9 months ago

        Whether or not this is true - at least the UK is an island. This isn’t as far fetched as a land locked poor country somehow shipping people 18hrs by plane….

        • beetus@lemmy.world
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          9 months ago

          Uhh it’s not like the UK is actually any better in this situation if it’s true that they are sending random migrants to Rwanda

    • Worx@lemmynsfw.com
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      9 months ago

      I was concerned reading this because I was thinking, “I’m sure Congo is in Africa, am I really that ignorant that I don’t know the continent it’s on?”

      But, of course, it was Trump being stupid. Shouldn’t have doubted myself over that idiot

  • Optional@lemmy.world
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    9 months ago

    CNN . . . meet me over on camera 3.

    CNN . . . people. You must, okay must use the word “lies” with trump. Okay. This is not a request or optional. The literal fate of the world is at stake. Do. Not. Fail. Again.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldB
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    9 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    “Everything he is saying isn’t true,” Democratic Republic of Congo spokesperson Patrick Muyaya Katembwe told CNN in a text message on Thursday.

    Asked specifically about Trump’s claims about Congolese prisons being emptied of violent criminals, he said, “Never ever, it’s not true.” And, he said, “we want him to stop” telling these stories, since “it’s very bad for the country.”

    Serge Mombouli, the Republic of Congo’s ambassador to the US, said in an email to CNN on Friday: “There is no truth or any sign nor a single fact supporting such a claim or statement.”

    Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, keeps making claims about emptied Congolese prisons as he criticizes President Joe Biden’s handling of immigration.

    “I’ve not heard anything about emptying of Congolese prisons,” Lewis Mudge, Central Africa director for Human Rights Watch, said of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

    Then, while running again in 2023, Trump repeatedly told an unsubstantiated story about mental health institutions in South America, including “insane asylums,” being deliberately emptied for nefarious migration purposes.


    The original article contains 890 words, the summary contains 166 words. Saved 81%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!