President Donald Trump says he should have left three UCLA basketball players accused of shoplifting in China in jail.
Trump's tweet Sunday comes after the father of player LiAngelo Ball minimized Trump's involvement in winning the players' release during an interview Saturday with ESPN. Trump has said he raised the players' detention with Chinese President Xi Jinping during the leaders' recent meeting in Beijing.
The players returned to the U.S. last week. They have been indefinitely suspended from the team.
Says Trump: "Now that the three basketball players are out of China and saved from years in jail, LaVar Ball, the father of LiAngelo, is unaccepting of what I did for his son and that shoplifting is no big deal. I should have left them in jail!"

Copyright Getty Images
Pool
<p>WASHINGTON, D.C. - OCTOBER 19: (AFP-OUT) President Donald Trump speaks to the media during a meeting with Governor Ricardo Rossello of Puerto Rico in the Oval Office at the White House on October 19, 2017 in Washington, D.C. Trump and Rossello spoke about the continuing recovery efforts following Hurricane Maria. (Photo by Kevin Dietsch-Pool/Getty Images)</p>

Posted
and last updated
Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.