Missionary Pastor Andrew Brunson, whose 2018 release from a two-year imprisonment in Turkey was a major diplomatic milestone for the first Trump administration, has been appointed to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF). Joining Brunson as new appointees to USCIRF are Robert Barron, the Roman Catholic bishop of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester, and Joseph Grogan, the former director of the U.S.
Domestic Policy Council, according to a Wednesday statement from the bipartisan panel of experts tasked with advising the federal government on international religious freedom. "With these appointments, USCIRF's full bipartisan composition further supports our efforts to advance religious freedom abroad for all. We look forward to working together," said USCIRF Vice Chair CeCe Heil. Brunson's appointment comes on the heels of Trump nominating Jane "Cissie" Graham Lynch, granddaughter of the late Rev.
Billy Graham, to serve as the U.S. ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom. The Senate-confirmed position, held by former Republican Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback during Trump's first term, has remained vacant since Trump took office again in January 2025.
Brunson, an American missionary from Black Mountain, North Carolina, ministered in Turkey with his wife, Norine, for 23 years until he was among the tens of thousands detained following the alleged coup attempt against Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in 2016. Falsely accused of espionage and using his religion to undermine the government, Brunson faced potential life in prison as Erdogan used him as a political pawn for two years.
His detainment sparked a diplomatic feud between Turkey and the United States, and Trump's firm response disrupted world markets. Following multiple court hearings and a final trial on Oct. 12, 2018, a Turkish court convicted Brunson of aiding a terrorist organization but credited him with time served and immediately released him to the U.S. When he returned