“Journalism is not a crime, and reporters are not bargaining chips,” the leaders said in a rare bipartisan statement.
The top four leaders in Congress issued a joint statement on Friday marking one year of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich’s wrongful detainment in Russia and calling for his release, in a rare moment of bipartisan unity in Washington.
Gershkovich, a 32-year-old American citizen, was arrested in late March 2023 while on a reporting trip and faces espionage charges. Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal and the U.S. government have vehemently denied the allegations. A Moscow court has again extended his detention until at least late June.
Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.
