WASHINGTON — As a photo of Marc Fogel circulated on social media Tuesday — showing the Oakmont teacher kissing a drink and holding snacks and a passport while flying away from Russia — Western Pennsylvania lawmakers and supporters who had long pressed the State Department and the Biden and Trump administrations for his release celebrated the news.
“When President [Donald] Trump met with Marc Fogel’s mother, Malphine, in Butler on July 13, 2024, he pledged to do everything he could to bring Marc home safely,” Rep. Mike Kelly, R-Butler, said in a statement. “Today, President Trump, Secretary [of State] Marco Rubio, and the Trump administration have fulfilled this promise.”
Mr. Kelly and his congressional colleagues have met with the Fogel family and advocated for Mr. Fogel’s release over the past few years in letters, public statements and meetings with administration officials.
“He is a Butler County native, and Malphine is one of my constituents,” Mr. Kelly said. “Today is a great day for the Fogel family, who will be reunited in Western Pennsylvania once again.”
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., called Mr. Fogel’s return home “long overdue.”
“I know all of Pennsylvania, especially his family, will be welcoming him back with open arms,” said Mr. Fetterman, who along with Sen. Dave McCormick and House lawmakers had recently written a bipartisan letter urging Mr. Rubio to use all tools available to get Mr. Fogel released. “I commend President Trump and [White House envoy] Steve Witkoff for their efforts in finally bringing Marc home.”
Mr. Witkoff’s visit to Moscow and Mr. Fogel’s release mark a breakthrough in U.S.-Russia relations after a breakdown following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine almost three years ago.
National Security Advisor Mike Waltz said the president, Mr. Witkoff and advisers “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.”
While referring to the release as an exchange, Mr. Waltz did not provide details on the negotiations or say whether the U.S. had released anyone in return for Mr. Fogel.
The 63-year-old teacher was arrested in August 2021 at the Sheremetyevo Airport outside of Moscow as he returned to Russia for his 10th and final year as a history teacher at the Anglo-American School of Moscow. He was sentenced on a drug charge in June 2022 to 14 years of hard labor.
Ms. Fogel sued the State Department last year, accusing then-Secretary of State Antony Blinken of treating her son’s case differently than those of other Americans detained in Russia, namely WNBA star Brittney Griner. Ms. Fogel dropped her lawsuit in October after the U.S. government officially designated Mr. Fogel “wrongfully detained.”
U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler called Tuesday “a day of celebration, thankfulness and gratitude knowing our fellow Pennsylvanian will soon be back on American soil with his family.”
Mr. Reschenthaler, a Republican, also took a dig at the previous administration and lauded Trump, saying Mr. Fogel “spent 1,255 days locked away in a Russian penal colony under the Biden-Harris administration while my congressional colleagues and I urged the State Department to bring him home. Thankfully, our prayers were answered with the election of President Donald J. Trump, whose leadership freed Marc in just 22 days.”
Mr. McCormick, R-Pa., in a post on X sharing a photo alongside Mr. Fogel’s mother, said he was thrilled to see Mr. Fogel returning after “years of being wrongfully held in Russia.”
“I have been working with the administration on this since Day 1 and I’m grateful to President Trump and Secretary Rubio for delivering on their commitment to free Marc,” he said. “As I told Marc’s mom, Mafa, when we spoke in August, we had to do everything possible to get Marc home and it is a blessing that this day has finally come.”
First Published: February 11, 2025, 9:11 p.m.
Updated: February 12, 2025, 4:15 p.m.
