'Gut-wrenching': Sister of teacher in Russian penal colony feels 'stabbed in the back'
As many Americans celebrated President Joe Biden's deal Thursday to free a Wall Street Journal reporter and former U.S. Marine from Russian captivity, the family of a Montana teacher says they feel betrayed.
Marc Fogel was not included in the 24-prisoner swap on Thursday, noted CNN anchor Erin Burnett on her show "Outfront." Fogel was sentenced to 14 years in prison after being accused of having a half-ounce of prescribed medical marijuana in his luggage at Moscow Airport in 2021.
A senior Biden administration official said in a statement Thursday to the network that they "absolutely wanted Marc to be included" in the swap, "but it just wasn't going to happen."
Reporter Evan Gershkovich and former Marine Paul Whelan were included in the agreement.
Read also: 'This is a big deal': Biden 'will leave office with a big win' after Russia prisoner swap
In an emotional five-minute interview with Burnett, Fogel's sister Anne said the family is outraged.
"The last 36 hours have been gut-wrenching," she said.
The family knew something was in the works Wednesday and called their elected representatives as well as the State Department. They hoped Marc Fogel would be on the plane — until he called and said he was still in a penal colony in Rybinsk.
"I knew that things were not going well. Because he should have been gone," she said, holding back tears. "It's been a rollercoaster. It's been a rollercoaster. No sleep. I feel like we've been kind of collectively stabbed in the back," she said.
Anne Fogel said the family feels her brother hasn't been prioritized.
"It's been one of the most frustrating times of my life," she said, choking up. "To not be heard, or taken seriously. We don't have the NBA. And we don't have the Wall Street Journal backing us. So Marc has been largely ignored."
Watch the emotional interview below or at this link.