Former Sen. Joe Donnelly shuts down Pence's line of attack over ISIS hostages

Vice President Mike Pence targeted Joe Biden on Wednesday over the Obama administration's handling of ISIS hostages, having invited the parents of Kayla Mueller, who was killed by members of the Islamic State in 2015, to the debate hall, and claiming the former VP blew "an opportunity" to save her.

But former Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly (D) had a different recollection of Biden's efforts to bring home ISIS hostages when he was serving under President Obama, as well as of then-Indiana Gov. Pence's participation. "Mr. Vice President, out of respect for the Kassig family, I have never discussed, in a political forum, my efforts as Indiana's United States Senator to free Peter Kassig and the other hostages from ISIS captivity," he tweeted Wednesday night. "Your comments tonight leave me no choice."

"As you know, I (and so many others) worked day after day with the Obama/Biden administration, our military, and others to try and bring Peter and the others home from ISIS captivity," Donnelly went on. "We worked nonstop to see the Kassig family together again with their son, and I was heartbroken we could not get him home. I know firsthand the hard work put in by these Patriots, including the Administration, that you criticize tonight."

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He added: "One thing I do clearly remember is I saw and spoke to those in the Obama/Biden administration in this all out effort to free Peter and the other hostages much more than I saw or heard from you about this effort."

Kassig, like Mueller, was an aid worker in Syria; he was from Indiana, where Pence was governor at the time, and killed by ISIS in 2014. Pence's attempt to redirect the conversation to terrorism was likely an attempt to move to more "favorable terrain" for the Trump administration, Axios reports.