Michael Travis Leake is a U.S. Air Force veteran and musician who spent more than a decade in Moscow before he was arrested there in June 2023. In July 2024, a Russian court sentenced him to thirteen years on drug charges he denies. The U.S. government has not designated him wrongfully detained — the status that moves a case out of routine consular handling and to the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, the office with the standing to bring an American home.
From inside a Russian penal colony, Travis has made a direct appeal to President Trump, asking to be brought home. We are publishing the recording — produced by Audio Saturday — for a simple reason: it should be heard, and no one with the power to act on it should be able to say they never had the chance.
“I’m sorry I’m not a journalist. I’m sorry I’m not a basketball player. I’m sorry I’m not somebody that’s important. But what I’m not is a drug dealer — and there’s no reason for me to be here.”
Michael “Travis” Leake, in his recorded appeal to President Trump
The ask is narrow, and it belongs to the government: review Travis Leake’s case against the Levinson Act factors, designate him wrongfully detained, and hand it to the people whose job is bringing Americans home. Others in his position have come home once their government chose to treat their cases that way. That choice has not yet been made for Travis.
He served his country. He is asking it to remember him.
LUCID Strategies — formerly LUCID Public Relations — has relaunched at lucidpublicrelations.com. This is the first post in our newsroom, where we will share the work we are able to discuss on the record. We begin with Travis because that is where our attention is.