Michael McFaul, former US ambassador to Russia, commended Donald Trump for facilitating the release of Marc Fogel, a teacher wrongfully imprisoned in Russia for medical marijuana possession. Fogel had been detained since 2021 and his health had declined during the incarceration. Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, successfully negotiated Fogel's return, while the Biden administration had previously been unsuccessful. McFaul expressed deep relief and gratitude, celebrating Fogel as a patriot and integral member of the expatriate community. He highlighted the release as a potential signal of improving relations with Russia amid ongoing geopolitical tensions.
Fantastic news. Praise be to President Donald Trump. That's not a phrase I get to say very often. I don't know the circumstances. I don't know the deal. We'll learn those later, and I don't care. Marc was in bad health. He was wrongfully detained for years. This is an American patriot. This is a fantastic human being. He was a teacher to one of my sons. He was an integral member of our community in Moscow when I lived there. And this is just fantastic news for anybody who cares about patriotic Americans.
On Tuesday, Trump's special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, announced a deal had been brokered to free Fogel. He was put on a plane headed for the US and was expected to be home by Tuesday night.
The Biden administration tried and failed to secure his release. On MSNBC's Chris Jansing Reports, the host asked McFaul who is personal friends with Fogle, for his reaction.
Mike Waltz said Tuesday that Witkoff and others negotiated an exchange that serves as a show of good faith from the Russians and a sign we are moving in the right direction to end the brutal and terrible war in Ukraine to secure Fogel's release.
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