Obama’s Ambassador To Russia Celebrates Marc Fogel’s Prison Release On MSNBC: ‘Praise Be To President Donald Trump’

Michael McFaul, a US ambassador to Russia under the Obama administration, praised President Donald Trump on MSNBC Tuesday for securing the release of Marc Fogel from the country on Tuesday.

The 66-year-old teacher had been detained in Russia since 2021 when he was sentenced to 14 years in prison for possession of medical marijuana he obtained in the US.

The Biden administration tried and failed to secure his release. 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.

On MSNBC’s Chris Jansing Reports, the host asked McFaul – who is personal friends with Fogle, for his reaction.

“Ambassador, you worked hard,” Jansing said. “You wanted to see your friend Mr. Fogel released. You know him. You know his family. I cannot imagine the relief that you and of course, a lot of people who love him are feeling right now. Tell us what you are feeling.” McFaul said he was elated. He also praised Trump:

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.

Trump national security adviser 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.

Watch above via MSNBC.