Republican Mocked for Calling Joe Biden ‘MIA’ Same Day as Prisoner Swap

A Republican lawmaker has been brutally mocked for suggesting that President Joe Biden was “missing in action” on the same day that he announced a prisoner swap that secured the release of three Americans who were held in Russia.

Biden announced on Thursday that three U.S. citizens who were high-profile prisoners in Russia—Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan and Russian-American journalist Alsu Kurmasheva—had been released alongside U.S. green card holder Vladimir Kara-Murza.

The full prisoner swap consisted of the U.S. and some Western ally countries agreeing to release eight Russian detainees in exchange for Russia releasing a total of 16 detainees, including five German citizens and seven Russian political prisoners.

Shortly before Biden announced the deal, Republican Congresswoman Nancy Mace pondered why “no one is talking about” the president allegedly being “MIA” in a post to X, formerly Twitter.

The post, which Mace pinned to her profile, prompted a wave of mockery when the swap was announced a short time later, with the White House joining in the onslaught.

“He’s been busy,” the White House wrote in response to Mace’s post, while sharing a photo of Biden with family members of the U.S. prisoners in the Oval Office.

“He’s been busy,” White House Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates added while sharing an image of Biden speaking to the press about the exchange. “A lot of people are talking about it.”

“This didn’t age well,” wrote former Republican Congressman Adam Kinzinger.

“He was busy getting Americans out of Russian jail and bringing them home,” Democratic influencer Harry Sisson wrote. “Biden accomplished more today than you have in your entire career.”

“How’s this tweet still up? You’re beyond pathetic,” wrote the “Republicans against Trump” account.

“Are you working Nancy? Cause Congress seems to have taken a 2 month vacation,” activist and author Amy Siskind wrote. “Also check out the news about the American hostages released. Thank you President Biden!”

Newsweek reached out for comment to Mace’s office via email on Thursday.

While’s Mace’s “MIA” post was still up and pinned to her profile at the time of publication, the congresswoman did hit back at the White House reply later on Thursday by claiming that the president had been “busy letting off the mastermind behind 9/11.”

In an unrelated deal that was announced on Wednesday, alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two of his accomplices reached a plea agreement that will keep them in prison for life rather than facing a death penalty trial that could end in acquittal.

U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said that the White House and Biden “played no role” in the deal, which was instead brokered by military prosecutors more than 20 years after the defendants were taken into U.S. custody.

Meanwhile, Biden shared an image of the released prisoners inside an airplane heading home from Russia on Thursday, with the following caption: “After enduring unimaginable suffering and uncertainty, the Americans detained in Russia are safe, free, and have begun their journeys back into the arms of their families.”