Was American teacher left behind in Russian prison camp because he wasn't woke enough for Team Biden? - Fox News

On December 8, Americans woke up to the quality of the Biden administration’s negotiated captive swap of WNBA subordinate Brittney Griner for Russian arms trader Viktor Bout – wide known arsenic the "Merchant of Death." 

At the announcement event, President Joe Biden vowed helium had not forgotten astir erstwhile Marine Paul Whelan, different American being held by the Russians. Biden besides claimed helium has not fixed up connected the imaginable of Whelan yet being brought home. 

But determination was different American prisoner’s sanction that the president failed adjacent to mention: Marc Fogel. 

RUSSIAN ARMS DEALER SWAPPED FOR BRITTNEY GRINER PRAISES UKRAINE INVASION AND WANTS TO JOIN THE FIGHTING

Fogel is simply a Pittsburgh-area past teacher who lived and worked conscionable extracurricular the legislature territory I correspond successful the U.S. House of Representatives. In August 2021, helium was detained astatine the Sheremetyevo Airport with a small magnitude of aesculapian marijuana prescribed for his chronic backmost symptom – akin to Griner’s situation. Less than a twelvemonth later, Fogel was sentenced to 14 years of hard labour successful a Russian prison, a condemnation usually reserved for large-scale cause smugglers. He has been successful custody ever since. 

WNBA prima and two-time Olympic golden medalist Brittney Griner is escorted from a tribunal country ater a hearing, successful Khimki conscionable extracurricular Moscow, Russia, Aug. 4, 2022. On Thursday, she was freed successful speech for Viktor Bour, a convicted planetary arms dealer. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, File)

This is wherever past week’s situation swap should rise eyebrows. 

In Griner’s situation, the United States designated her arsenic "wrongfully detained" little than 3 months aft her arrest. For Fogel? He has ne'er been classified arsenic specified – contempt gathering astatine slightest six of the 11 established criteria to beryllium designated arsenic "wrongfully detained" nether national law. 

Alongside my legislature colleagues, I person relentlessly advocated for this designation to the State Department and White House – but received constricted responses oregon acknowledgment. Fogel’s lawsuit has been efficaciously stonewalled and disregarded. 

When Griner’s concern roseate to prominence, Biden spoke with her household successful the Oval Office. Conversely, Fogel’s household has struggled adjacent to get a telephone backmost from the State Department regarding his apprehension and run for his release. 

This begs the question: Why did a personage specified arsenic Brittney Griner person specified an urgent and speedy designation, but past teacher Marc Fogel is inactive waiting for his classification 16 months later? 

In a time and property wherever the Biden medication heavy emphasizes race, sexuality and wokeness, it is incredibly worrisome to ideate the White House giving American prisoners held by overseas adversaries preferential attraction if they subscribe to the administration’s preferred ideology. 

This script successful question can’t beryllium overlooked, arsenic clip and clip again, our federation has seen Biden and Democrats prime winners and losers based connected this criteria. 

Because of these pressing questions, Congress indispensable analyse the dialog process that took spot to bring Griner location but near Fogel and Whelan successful Russia. Swapping lone a personage hoops subordinate for a wide condemned Russian planetary arms trader warrants dense scrutiny – particularly fixed Fogel and Whelan’s dire situations. 

Marc Fogel and his wife, Jane (Photos courtesy Ellen Keelan and Lisa Hyland)

Following this caller swap, the United States is present severely constricted astatine the negotiating table. To my knowledge, we don't person 2 Merchants of Death sitting around, waiting successful our prisons to beryllium traded. Now, the Biden medication is backmost astatine quadrate 1 – with few, if any, high-value assets disposable to connection Russia successful exchange. 

This is not lone tragic but besides infuriating. 

If Fogel had garnered the aforesaid media attraction arsenic Griner, would helium person been included successful her swap? 

If Fogel met the Biden administration’s personage presumption credentials, would helium beryllium resting astatine location with his woman and family? 

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If Fogel checked 1 of the lefts’ cherished intersectional boxes, would his sanction person been uttered retired of Biden’s rima arsenic helium celebrated Griner’s release? 

These questions indispensable beryllium answered. When Republicans retake the House bulk successful January, we indispensable analyse the deliberation process and decisions made to unafraid Griner’s swap without including Fogel and Whelan. Secretary Antony Blinken, Biden, and each different progressive parties indispensable sphere their documents for further legislature oversight. 

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Sadly, this disastrous woody appears to beryllium a failed Biden medication overseas argumentation determination that was based connected Russian President Vladimir Putin’s terms. Additionally, the uneven commercialized and preferential attraction of Griner besides puts minorities and LGBT radical astatine greater hazard of wrongful detainment successful adversarial nations, arsenic they are seen much invaluable to instrumentality hostage. 

We’ll get to the bottommost of this catastrophe and halt astatine thing to bring Fogel and Whelan home. Until we do, I’ll support advocating for their merchandise – and guarantee Marc Fogel’s sanction volition not spell unnoticed again.