Biden Brings Home Former US Marine Trevor Reed From Russian Detention

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Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 01:51 pm

Biden pulled off a dramatic prisoner exchange with Russia to bring home unjustly detained US Marine Trevor Reed.

President Biden said in a statement provided to PoliticusUSA:

Today, we welcome home Trevor Reed and celebrate his return to the family that missed him dearly. Trevor, a former U.S. Marine, is free from Russian detention. I heard in the voices of Trevor’s parents how much they’ve worried about his health and missed his presence. And I was delighted to be able to share with them the good news about Trevor’s freedom.

I’m grateful for the tireless and dedicated work of Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens, U.S. Ambassador to the Russian Federation John Sullivan, and many others across our government to ensure that Trevor came home safely. The negotiations that allowed us to bring Trevor home required difficult decisions that I do not take lightly. His safe return is a testament to the priority my Administration places on bringing home Americans held hostage and wrongfully detained abroad. We won’t stop until Paul Whelan and others join Trevor in the loving arms of family and friends.

Reed was unjustly detained on a bogus charge of endangering the lives of Russian police officers. Reed was arrested in 2019 and sentenced to nine years in prison. His family met with the President in March after they were spotted standing along his motorcade route during a Biden trip to Texas.

It is part of the duties of a president to do everything in his or her power to free unjustly detained Americans abroad. The fact that the US was able to pull off the prisoner swap with the war in Ukraine ongoing is incredible, and it shows the extraordinary skill and talent of the Biden administration.

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Jason Easley

Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.

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Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association

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