One notable name was left behind in last week’s US-Russia prisoner exchange that freed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Marine veteran Paul Whelan on Aug. 2.
And a week later, Pennsylvania’s senior senator has put President Joe Biden on notice.
In a statement last Thursday, Sen. Bob Casey (D-Pa.) said the swap was “good news” for Gershkovich and Whelan, but expressed disappointment with Pittsburgh teacher Marc Fogel being left to rot in Russia.
“This prisoner swap is good news for Evan Gershkovich, Paul Whelan, and their families, but Marc Fogel is still sitting in a Russian prison,” Casey said, noting that Fogel’s health has “declined significantly” while imprisoned.
The statement comes after Fogel’s 95-year-old mother Malphine Fogel slammed both Casey and Biden in an interview with The Post last week. She specifically said Casey “needs to be more forceful to get him designated unlawfully detained” — a crucial State Department label for overseas prisoners.
Now 65, Fogel was detained in August 2021 for allegedly trying to enter Russia with 0.6 ounces of medical marijuana and was sentenced to 14 years in prison the following year.
Casey’s statement said that Malphine fears she will never see her son again.
“As we celebrate the good news of today, we cannot forget about Marc and the Fogel family,” Casey said.
Casey’s opponent, GOP Senate hopeful Dave McCormick, met with Malphine Fogel on Wednesday — and stressed the importance of getting her son to be declared “wrongfully detained.”
“It’s so important that he be designated as wrongfully detained,” McCormick said. “It’s so important because he makes sure he gets the healthcare he needs.”
Former President Donald Trump also meet with Malphine — the day he was shot by a would-be assassin in Butler, Pennsylvania — and the GOP nominee promised to bring her son home if he’s elected.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan used the phrase when referring to Marc Fogel at last Thursday’s press briefing — the first time a Biden administration official has publicly done so.
Casey has repeatedly pushed for a deal to negotiate Fogel’s release — including his introduction of a bipartisan resolution calling for the teacher to come home, which passed the Senate unanimously earlier this year.
The senator’s comments represent a rare public break with the Biden administration.
Casey was one of few swing-state Democrats to remain supportive of Biden following the prez’s disastrous debate performance in late June.
FiveThirtyEight records show he voted with Biden’s stated position 98.5% of the time during the 117th Congress in 2021-22.
