An American citizen is being held hostage in a West African prison cell right now, and the people paid to protect him are doing absolutely nothing about it.
Brad Schlenker, an American pilot, has been rotting in a Guinea prison for over 35 days after that country's own Court of Appeal ordered his release on January 23rd. You read that correctly. A foreign court said let him go, and the military simply overrode the order. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department is telling congressional offices that Schlenker is "legally detained and healthy."
That's not just incompetence. That's a lie.
The Setup: A Cleared Flight Turns Into an Armed Ambush
The facts of this case are infuriating. Schlenker received clearance from Guinea's own air traffic control to land. He followed every protocol. He did everything by the book. And when he opened that cockpit door, he was greeted not by customs officials, but by soldiers with machine guns.
Independent aviation experts have reviewed the ATC transcripts, the flight plan, and the documented evidence. Their conclusion? There was no unauthorized overflight. No unlawful landing. No national defense risk. Zero criminal conduct.
So why is he still locked up?
The Shakedown: Pay Up or Stay Imprisoned
Because this isn't about law enforcement. It's extortion, plain and simple.
According to documented accounts, Schlenker's family was told to "pay respect" to military officials. The price tag? Five thousand dollars per pilot. The family sent the money. They were promised his release. Then—like clockwork—new paperwork was invented, new delays manufactured, and the shakedown cycle started all over again.
This is what happens when you're an American citizen in a country where our embassy has no ambassador, is staffed by junior officers with zero authority, and apparently zero interest in protecting their own countrymen.
Congress Knows. The White House Knows. Where's the Action?
Here's where it gets even more outrageous. Congressman John McGuire, a former Navy SEAL, has offered to fly to Guinea personally because the State Department refuses to act. A sitting member of Congress is willing to put boots on the ground himself because our diplomatic corps can't be bothered.
Next News Network formally contacted the White House press team requesting comment on this case. The Trump administration now has a clear opportunity to demonstrate the kind of decisive leadership Americans elected them to provide.
President Trump has brought Americans home before. He secured the release of hostages that the previous administration couldn't—or wouldn't—prioritize. This case demands that same level of attention.
Brad's Own Words From Inside the Prison
Schlenker himself has recorded testimony from inside that prison cell, describing the nightmare in his own voice: the cleared flight plan, the authorized landing, and the armed ambush that followed. This isn't speculation. This is documented fact.
The Deep State Rot Continues
Let's be blunt about what this story exposes. The institutional rot that President Trump has been fighting since day one didn't disappear just because we won an election. The same bloated, unaccountable bureaucracy that spied on a presidential campaign, that weaponized the FBI against parents at school board meetings, that let Afghanistan collapse into chaos—that same machine is now telling Congress that a man held in defiance of a court order is "legally detained."
This is exactly why the DOGE initiative matters. This is exactly why draining the swamp isn't just a slogan—it's a necessity.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the ball is in your court. President Trump, this American needs you.
Patriots, share this story everywhere. Tag your representatives. Force accountability. Because if they can do this to Brad Schlenker, they can do it to any American who travels abroad trusting that their government has their back.
Do we still protect our own, or don't we?