Michael McFaul, the U.S. ambassador to Russia under former Democrat President Barack Obama, lauded the release of American teacher Marc Fogel from Russia, saying "Praise be to President Donald Trump."
McFaul made the comments in an interview on MSNBC on Tuesday after the White House announced that Fogel was on his way back to the United States after more than two years in prison and being wrongfully detained for more than three.
"Fantastic news. Praise be to President Donald Trump. That's not a phrase I get to say very often," said McFaul, Obama's ambassador from 2012-14.
Fogel, 66, is expected to land at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland at around 9 p.m. on Tuesday, NBC News reported. Trump said he will meet with Fogel in the White House at around 10 p.m., CNN reported.
"We were treated very nicely by Russia, actually," Trump said in the Oval Office. "I hope that's the beginning of a relationship where we can end that war [in Ukraine] and millions of people can stop being killed."
Fogel was arrested on charges of bringing medical marijuana into Russia in August 2021 and began serving a 14-year prison sentence in June 2022. Fogel was released and flown out of Russia on a plane with Steve Witkoff, Trump's special envoy who negotiated Fogel's release.
Fogel traveled to Russia with 17 grams of cannabis, prescribed by a doctor for "severe spinal pain." However, he was found guilty in a Russia court for "large-scale drugs smuggling."
The White House said Fogel's release was part of an "exchange," though it's not clear who was released back to Russia.
"I don't know the circumstances. I don't know the deal. We'll learn those later, and I don't care," McFaul told MSNBC. "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."
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., also praised Trump and Witkoff for securing Fogel's release, calling it "long overdue." Fogel is a Pennsylvania native.
"I commend President Trump and Steve Witkoff for their efforts in finally bringing Marc home," Fetterman said in a statement.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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