Welp…exactly like I suspected:
The Biden administration says it is still engaging with Moscow in an ongoing attempt to secure detained Marine veteran Paul Whelan's release from the Russian prison where he's serving a 16-year sentence, which reportedly involves hard labor.
On Sunday, National Security Council spokesman John Kirby
told ABC's "This Week"
the US is still "negotiating" for his release - confirming that recently a
"very serious, specific proposal" was made to the Russians.
He further gave some background on the Brittney Griner release while seeking to deflect widespread criticisms that Whelan was left behind for the less serious case of WNBA star Griner. Biden has been accused of simply choosing her for her fame and the bigger PR campaign rallying behind her.
Kirby described that for months the White House pushed hard to gain Whelan and Griner's release together, but "it just didn't land anywhere... with the Russians," he explained in the Sunday comments.
"As we progressed through this summer and into the fall... it was clear that they were treating Paul very separately,
very distinctly because of these sham espionage charges they levied against him." Kirby said that just before Griner's release it became clear that Whelan's release would remain unlikely.
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