![]() "Trump 'Turned down Paul Whelan and Viktor Bout Prisoner Swap Years Ago.'" The Independent, 9 Dec. "'This Is Not a Swap, This Is a Surrender': John Bolton Takes Flamethrower to Brittney Griner Deal as 'Huge Win for Moscow' Over Biden." Mediaite, 8 Dec. Embassy & Consulates in Russia, 15 June 2020. "Statement by Secretary Pompeo on the Conviction of U.S. "Why Isn't Trump Talking About the American Jailed in Russia?" Foreign Policy, 4 Jan. "Trump Attacks Biden for Not Doing Something He Failed to Do Himself." Newsweek, 8 Dec. "Family of American Arrested in Russia on Spy Charges Fears for His Safety." Washington Post, 1 Jan. "The American Prisoner Caught Between Trump and the Kremlin." The Atlantic, 5 Nov. Following Her Release by Russia in Prisoner Swap for Arms Dealer Viktor Bout." CBS News, 9 Dec. "Brittney Griner Trade Deal Leaves Wrongfully Detained Americans Marc Fogel, Paul Whelan in Limbo." Fox News, 8 Dec. ![]() We therefore rate this claim as "True."Īitken, Peter. So even though Trump criticized Biden for this prisoner swap, we should note that Whelan was imprisoned during Trump's own administration, and that Trump refused to give up Bout in a potential exchange back then. And while we have not yet succeeded in securing Paul's release, we are not giving up. And I'll just note the historical fact that the possibility of a Bout-for-Whelan trade existed back then, and it wasn't made, for very good reasons having to deal with Viktor Bout."īiden did address Whelan's situation when he announced Griner's return: "Sadly, for totally illegitimate reasons, Russia is treating Paul's case differently than Brittney's. ![]() In an interview with CBS, Bolton said: "I'll just note that Paul Whelan, who was likewise set up by the Russians back in late 2018, so when I was at the White House, is still in custody. We reviewed Trump's tweets from a public database and found that he never mentioned Whelan's name there.Īccording to Trump's former national security adviser, John Bolton, Griner's release was not a swap, but a surrender, and Trump's team refused a similar deal for Whelan. In the summer of 2019, Whelan appealed to Trump from a glass cage during a court appearance, saying "Tweet your intentions." But the president stayed silent even as Elizabeth Whelan, Paul's sister, advocated extensively on Capitol Hill for his return. Pompeo would continue to speak out for Whelan's return during the Trump administration, releasing a statement in 2020 about his conviction, saying Whelan's treatment was "appalling" and demanding his "immediate release."īut during his administration, Trump himself was largely silent on Whelan's case. Secretary of State at the time, said the government demanded his immediate return. The American ambassador to Russia was permitted to visit Whelan soon after his detention, and Mike Pompeo, who was U.S. Russia accused him of being on a "spy mission." His family said he was in Russia for a friend's wedding, which took place in an upscale hotel in Moscow on Dec. 1, 2019, that Whelan was detained on Dec. However, media outlets pointed out that Whelan was detained in Russia in 2018 during the Trump administration. What a "stupid" and unpatriotic embarrassment for the USA!!!" President Donald Trump posted on his Truth Social account: "What kind of a deal is it to swap Brittney Griner, a basketball player who openly hates our Country, for the man known as "The Merchant of Death' Why wasn't former Marine Paul Whelan included in this totally one-sided transaction? He would have been let out for the asking.
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