Sister of Paul Whelan, American Held In Russia, Calls Out Biden Over Her Family Not Receiving Call
The sister of Paul Whelan called out the Biden administration on Wednesday over her family not getting a call from them whereas the wife of WNBA star Brittney Griner got one even though each are dealing with a relative in Russian captivity.
Griner was detained in February for allegedly bringing cannabis oil into Russia, where it is illegal. Her trial is ongoing. Whelan has been detained in Russia since 2018, having been accused of spying. He is currently serving a 16-year prison sentence.
On Wednesday, Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris had a call with Griner’s wife, Cherelle Griner. Biden “called Cherelle to reassure her that he is working to secure Brittney’s release as soon as possible, as well as the release of Paul Whelan and other U.S. nationals who are wrongfully detained or held hostage in Russia and around the world,” said the White House in a statement. “He also read her a draft of the letter the President is sending to Brittney today.
Elizabeth Whelan told CNN’s Erica Hill that her family’s last meeting with a senior Biden administration official was May 4.
Whelan noted that her family doesn’t “begrudge the Greiner family and their supporters any of the attention that they’re getting from the president. It’s really wonderful they have resources far beyond what our family does.”
Rather, she explained:
Our concern is why the outreach to some families and not others. There are 55-plus families who would like to have that same degree of attention. My brother’s written to both presidents [Biden and Donald Trump] and to people throughout Congress. Hundreds and hundreds of letters during the three-and-a-half years he’s been held. I was astonished to hear about this call and it did make me wonder: Should we be pushing for a meeting with the president? Is that what it’s going to take to bring my brother home?
“What I would really like to see is a functioning process that didn’t require that.”
Watch above, via CNN.
