https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2024/12/judicial-watch-foia-bombshell-how-biden-state-dept/
Judicial Watch FOIA Bombshell: How the Biden State Dept. Let YouTuber Gonzalo Lira Die in Ukrainian Prison
by Collin McMahon Dec. 15

On Jan. 11, 2024 conservative US YouTuber Gonzalo Lira died in a Ukrainian prison, where he was held for the crime of criticizing the war, and the US and Ukrainian governments. Now, a FOIA request by Judicial Watch sheds stark light on the Biden Regime’s complete failure to stand up for a US political prisoner in a Ukrainian prison. The e-mails reveal the US Embassy was aware of threats to Gonzalo Lira’s life, which it considered “no rush.”

After Gonzalo Lira’s death, the Embassy was mostly concerned with spin control and how to “beef up press guidance” to address the question of “why didn’t the U.S. government do more to assist Mr. Lira?”

YouTuber Gonzalo Lira (aka “Coach Red Pill”) was arrested in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on May 1, 2023, by a heavily armed SWAT team of the Ukrainian SBU secret police for the crime of “justifying Russian aggression,” which translates as “criticizing the war and the government.” On July 6, he was released on bail and attempted to leave the country for Hungary on his motorcycle, posting a video on the way. On Aug. 1, he was rearrested and imprisoned in solitary confinement (SIZO) in Kharkiv.

Gonzalo Lira married a Ukrainian woman and moved to Ukraine in 2020, with whom he has two children. They later separated. When Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2021, he found himself in the middle of a shooting war. In his videos, he frequently criticized the mainstream media, the Ukrainian and US governments, and specifically former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs (2021-2024) Victoria Nuland.

The Gateway Pundit filed a FOIA request on Jan. 15, 2024, four days after his death, for all communications concerning the death of Gonzalo Lira between Victoria Nuland and US Ambassador to Ukraine Bridget A. Brink. Eleven months later, the State Department is stalling on this request and recently wrote that the request would not be completed until March 31, 2026. We have now applied for expedited processing due to the overwhelming public interest in this case, which involved the death of a US citizen held as a political prisoner in a country that has received $113 billion in US aid.

After our FOIA request, Secretary of State Antony Blinken suddenly announced the retirement of then-Acting Deputy SecState Victoria Nuland on March 5, surprising many. Ukraine policy architect Nuland was widely considered to be vying for the top job until the Lira case blew up. In September, Nuland joined the board of the Deep State front organization National Endowment for Democracy.

Meanwhile, Judicial Watch has filed a more general FOIA request pertaining to the case of Gonzalo Lira, which does not focus specifically on the communication between Nuland and Ambassador Brink.

The Department of State released 769 heavily redacted pages to Judicial Watch in May, October and November 2024. The Gateway Pundit has received these documents from Judicial Watch and can report exclusively on the State Department’s egregious failure to save Gonzalo Lira’s life and subsequent attempts at spin. Ctd....