2 years ago
President Joe Biden on Tuesday spoke with the family of a former U.S. Marine detained in Russia, vowing to do “everything he can” to bring Trevor Reed home.
The president called Trevor Reed’s parents, Joe and Paula, and his sister, Taylor, after his trip to Fort Worth, Texas, where Biden met with veterans. The Reed family lives less than an hour from Fort Worth and waited for Biden’s motorcade to pass through in hopes of holding an in-person meeting with the president. Paula Reed held a hot pink sign that said, “Bring my son home!” and Biden appeared to acknowledge her message with a hand gesture, the Dallas Morning News reported.
“The president called Joey and Paula Reed to reiterate his commitment to do everything he can to bring their son home, to staying in close touch with them through his national security team, and to finding a time to meet in person,” a White House official said afterward.
Trevor Reed has been in prison in Russia for more than two years. He was arrested in Moscow in 2019 after a night of drinking and was sentenced to nine years in prison on assault charges for endangering the “life and health” of Russian police officers. Both Trevor and his family have vehemently denied the charges; U.S. Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan has condemned them as “absurd.”
Trevor and his family have again been in headlines this week, as Russia’s attack on Ukraine dominates the news cycle and Russian officials recently arrested another Texas native, WNBA player Brittney Griner, who is facing drug charges after Russian customs officials said they found hashish oil in her luggage.
Reed’s parents say they last spoke to Trevor on July 15, 2021. They’ve recently expressed concerns about his deteriorating health, particularly worries that he has tuberculosis.
English (US)