Rantz: Father of kidnapped Washington USAF veteran says Sen. Patty Murray is ignoring him

Washington Democratic Senator Patty Murray has used her platform to support bringing illegal immigrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia, an accused gang member and wife abuser, back to the United States from El Salvador. But she seems wholly disinterested in helping bring home Joseph St. Clair, a United States Air Force veteran who did four tours in Afghanistan, who was abducted and jailed in Venezuela by the Maduro regime.

“Nothing from Patty Murray at all. Not even a not even a form letter response,” Scott St. Clair, Joseph’s dad, explained in an exclusive interview on “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH.

Scott St. Clair, who lives in Hansville, Wash., says his son first went missing in November 2024, when Joseph was living in Colombia seeking treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder. It wasn’t until February when Scott St. Clair said he received a call from the consulate in Colombia informing him that the Maduro regime in Venezuela had abducted his son.

He learned the most details about what happened after President Donald Trump’s envoy, Ric Grenell, secretly visited Venezuela on January 31st to secure the release of six American hostages. Those hostages were held alongside Joseph.

“We learned that Joe, who was working in Columbia, decided to take a trip near the border with one of his friends to visit a family member, and got too close to the border and got abducted. They saw his military credentials, and all of this really only coming from the captives that were brought back,” Scott St. Clair explained.

He said that he was told that his son is “seemingly healthy” and “alive and, because of his military training, they said that he was stepping up and kind of leading some of these folks.”

Trump administration moved quickly to help Joseph St. Clair

Scott St. Clair said that he and his family were “shocked, blown away, and emotional,” at the news and immediately determined to start “reaching out to anybody and everybody I could find.”

He said he and his family have been pleased with the Trump administration’s track record in securing the release of American hostages. Adam Boehler, special envoy for hostage affairs, reached out to Scott St. Clair early on to walk him through the next steps. He said soon after that, his son was quickly designated as wrongfully detained by Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

“These are things that now I’m learning don’t happen that quickly. So I’m very thankful that that stuff’s happening. But there’s still that question, you know, what’s the plan?” Scott St. Clair asks.

He says his son has post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and he worries about how he’s coping while detained in Venezuela. Consequently, he’s been working to recruit lawmakers who can help keep the story top of mind as the Trump administration works to secure his son’s release.

No response from Patty Murray, who is busy supporting Kilmar Abrego Garcia

While Scott St. Clair says Senator Maria Cantwell’s office eventually reached out to him on how to officially request help from the senator, it was Senator Patty Murray who ignored his requests for help.

Yet Murray’s office has taken time to call attention to Kilmar Abrego Garcia, a Salvadoran national who was deported after the Trump administration said it learned of his ties to violent gang MS-13. The administration also released details of allegations made by his wife of serious abuse, and noted that Homeland Security Investigations suspected him of partaking in human trafficking in 2022. The report, at the time, revealed he was a member of MS-13.

Still, Abrego Garcia has become a cause célèbre for Democrats. Meanwhile, Murray ignores Joseph St. Clair.

Scott St. Clair calls Murray’s apparent disinterest “baffling and discouraging.” He said he would like to believe Murray “simply missed our pleas for help due to admin overload but it seems that this constituent’s need is superseded by politics.” Murray’s office did not respond to a request for comment by “The Jason Rantz Show” on KTTH.

Fighting for his son

Scott St. Clair is doing what he can to bring attention to his son’s abduction. He is going traveling to Washington, DC for Hostage Week at the end of the month. The St. Clair family, as they fight for their son, are leaning on their faith and tight-knit community in Kitsap County for support.

“We have a really great faith family around here, so that’s been helpful. The extended family across the country has rallied. His siblings have stepped up and done what they can, social media, etc. So we’re, you know, we’re talking a lot. It seems overwhelming a lot, but we’re coping that way,” he explained.

He hopes that the media starts shining a larger spotlight on his son’s capture and the many other Americans who have been wrongly detained.

“The truth is, in a political world, they need congressional pressure and public pressure to prioritize this issue,” Scott St. Clair said. “And you know all you hear about right now is oil leases and deportees and things like that that are happening with El Salvador. All those things are important. But it seems like every time something comes on, that’s all that’s talked about. They fail to mention American hostages languishing in prison.”

UPDATED 04-21-25: Sen. Murray’s office responded to a request for comment from our sister station, KIRO Newsradio. They say they do not have a record of Scott St. Clair emailing them.  He says he just received an email from Murray’s office that was sent to his private email address (though he doesn’t know how Murray knew about that email address if they did not receive anything from him). It’s unclear if a journalist sent Murray’s office his email address.

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