The family of Trevor Reed, a Marine veteran who has been detained in a Russian prison for over two years, is urging President Biden to secure the American’s release.
Reed’s parents have said their son’s health has been deteriorating due to the harsh prison conditions and noting he “likely has tuberculosis.”
Trevor’s family says Russian police accused him of assaulting an officer in August 2019 a week before he was supposed to return home. They insist the charges were fabricated.
After a ‘trial,’ Reed was sentenced to 9 years in prison.
President Biden visited North Texas earlier this week and the family camped out in an attempt to meet him.
They were ultimately unsuccessful, with Fox News reporting that: “His parents were denied a visit with Biden as bilateral relations between Washington and Moscow continue to erode.”
Still, they were happy to have at least gotten some sort of ancillary acknowledgment during the event.
“They drove by faster than I thought he would. But Biden gave me a nod and pointed at me, so he acknowledged us, and I feel great,” Trevor’s mother Paula Reed said.
“I feel he saw me, so that made it worth it, standing in the cold,” she added. “We wanted to get his attention, and I think we did that.”
President @JoeBiden was ripped by Texas lawmakers Tuesday for allegedly refusing to meet with the family of a former Marine who is being held in a Russian prison.
— Washington Examiner (@dcexaminer) March 9, 2022
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Marine Held in Russian Prison
President Biden spoke in Texas about supporting Veterans as part of his Unity Agenda. One of the “big things” he outlined that Americans can do “is supporting our veterans — fully supporting them.”
Prior to that visit, Reed’s family urged the President to “put his money where his mouth is and do something for these veterans who’ve done nothing wrong and are wasting their lives in a Russian jail.”
Reed served as a Marine security guard at Camp David when Biden was Vice President.
“Our son protected [Biden] at Camp David when he was vice president,” said the Marine veteran’s father, Joey Reed.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters that while they didn’t connect on this visit, the administration is “working on a time for the President to meet with his family over the short term.”
The family did get a phone call from the President to discuss their son. In the call, according to Stars and Stripes, Biden told the family he “can’t imagine what you all are going through” and claimed “he said a Rosary for Trevor today on the way here.”
Trevor’s sister, Taylor Reed, says that while they received a phone call from Biden, a separate phone conversation with her brother indicates he feels left behind by the American government.
It “was obviously a pleasant surprise to get a call to know that he’s OK,” Taylor said. “After 232 days not hearing from him at all. But it was also really rough. He’s extremely discouraged. He’s super sad. He feels left behind. He feels forgotten.”
On Monday, Marine veteran Trevor Reed’s family spoke with him for the first time in over 200 days.https://t.co/2BJTkrCmsK
— Stars and Stripes (@starsandstripes) March 9, 2022
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Trump Secured the Release of Prisoners
Joey Reed, Trevor’s father, blasted President Biden, saying his son put his life on the line to protect him when he served during the Obama administration.
“Our son would have given his life for you and they (the Russians) want to trade. … If that’s what they want, you need to do that before our son dies of tuberculosis,” Joey told Stars and Stripes.
He then outlined a few things he would tell Biden if they were granted a meeting.
“He was willing to die for you. The least you could do is trade a drug dealer who’s already been here for 10 years and is going to be home and out before Trevor,” Joey Reed said. “That’s a few things I would tell Biden.”
Former President Donald Trump on multiple occasions announced the secured release of prisoners in other nations.
Andrew Brunson, a U.S. pastor imprisoned over unproven terror-related charges in Turkey for years, was released in 2018. A statement from his lawyer thanked Trump and other officials involved in the negotiations.
Pastor Andrew Brunson is coming home! Thanks to the strong leadership of @POTUS Trump and the steadfast prayers of millions of Americans, this innocent man of faith will soon be home!
— Vice President Mike Pence Archived (@VP45) October 12, 2018
In May of 2018, thanks to his hardball negotiating style, Trump saw North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un release three Americans that were imprisoned in his rogue country.
In 2017, an American woman, her Canadian husband, and their three young children all born in captivity, were rescued from a Taliban-linked group in Pakistan.
Reed has been languishing in a Russian prison for years and you’ve likely not heard his story until now. WNBA basketball star Brittney Griner has been held in Russia for three weeks, arrested for allegedly having cannabis oil in her luggage.
You’ve most likely heard her story.
