Westmoreland Review

Chief Deputy Whip Guy Reschenthaler (R-PA) and U.S. Representative Mike Kelly (R-PA) have expressed their approval of President Donald J. Trump's recent actions in support of Marc Fogel, who has been detained in Russia. The two lawmakers met with Fogel’s son, Ethan Fogel, to discuss the situation, following a meeting between President Trump and Marc's mother, Malphine Fogel.

“Ethan’s father has been wrongfully detained in a Russian prison for 1,076 days,” said Reschenthaler. “After nearly three years of inaction from the Biden Administration, I am thankful to see President Trump meet with Marc Fogel’s mother and support our efforts to bring him home. We must do everything possible to support Marc — President Trump meets the moment.”

Kelly added his voice to the calls for action: “I want to thank the Fogel family for bringing their powerful message to Washington this week and reminding everyone: Marc Fogel must remain a part of any hostage negotiations between the Biden Administration and the Russian government. The Fogel family remains incredibly resilient and prayerful,” he said. “I call on the Biden Administration to do everything in its power to bring Marc Fogel home to Pennsylvania as quickly as possible. His family has spent more than 1,000 days without him. They deserve to have him home.”

Malphine Fogel also expressed her gratitude towards Reschenthaler and Kelly: “I want to thank Congressmen Reschenthaler and Kelly for meeting with my grandson and Marc’s son, Ethan Fogel, this week in Washington, DC,” she said. “It is critical that Marc be designated as wrongfully detained and be brought home from Russia with Evan Gershkovich. Both congressmen were essential in bringing Marc to the attention of President Trump and having him meet with me and commit to bringing him home should he become president. President Trump made an unseen family feel seen. Please continue to fight for Marc and our family and hold the Biden Department of State accountable for the misleading statements they have made about my son.”

Reschenthaler and Kelly have been actively working within Congress on behalf of Marc Fogel:

- On December 21, 2023, Reschenthaler led a bipartisan letter urging Secretary Antony Blinken to include Pittsburgh-native Marc Fogel in any prisoner swap made with Russia.

- On June 27, 2023, Reschenthaler introduced the Marc Fogel Act requiring the State Department to provide Congress with documents explaining why a wrongful determination has or has not been made within six months of arrest.

- On August 3, 2022, Reschenthaler led a letter urging Secretary Blinken to classify Marc Fogel as wrongfully detained due to similarities with Brittney Griner’s case.

- On October 31, 2022, Reschenthaler led a bipartisan letter demanding that securing Fogel’s release be prioritized by the State Department.

- On February 15, 2023, Reschenthaler along with Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul sent a letter expressing concern over the lack of information on why Fogel had not been classified as wrongfully detained.