Two years after his term in the White House ended, Donald Trump said the Biden administration’s prison swap to return illegally detained WNBA star Britney Griner home was “ridiculous” and “totally one-sided.” US Marine Corps veteran Paul Whelan is not included.
Whelan, who was under Trump’s scrutiny on false spying charges just three days after Christmas 2018, said that the Biden administration had recently brought back American hostages from abroad. As he wrote on the Truth Social platform: Was Marlene Paul Whelan involved in this completely one-sided deal? He would have been put out for asking.
The disgraced former president, whose family business was convicted of criminal tax violations earlier this week, is basketball player Griner, whom he baselessly accused of hating the United States for Russian-born arms dealer Viktor Bout. He also complained about the fact that this transaction had released the
“What a ‘ridiculous’ unpatriotic embarrassment for the United States!!!” he wrote.
Despite Trump’s public concern for Mr. Whelan, while in the White House he had the power to free Mr. Whelan, he took no action to free him.
The former president has never hesitated to seek the return of Americans detained abroad if it suits his political ends or if it could lead to an easy public relations victory for him.
Just three months after taking office, the president persuaded Egyptian dictator Fatah El-Sisi to release her after three years in prison on exaggerated trafficking charges. Celebrated the return of Egyptian-American philanthropist Aya Hijazi in the Oval Office. He also frequently tweeted about Andrew Branson, an American Christian missionary detained in Turkey. After Trump pressured Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to return Branson, he again welcomed his return in October 2018 with the opportunity to pose for pictures in the Oval Office.
But as for Mr. Whelan, Mr. Trump has kept quiet for weeks and months since his December 28, 2018 arrest, and that silence has continued into the final two years of his presidency. .
Review of public databases of Trump’s tweets and public statements Independent Between the countless public appearances and media availability he participated in when his Oval Office workplace was just steps away from the White House briefing room, Paul Whelan’s name has never been mentioned. I made it clear that I didn’t say anything.
Trump’s then-National Security Advisor John Bolton met with Whelan’s sister, Elizabeth Whelan, on June 16, 2019. Russia said it had “provided no evidence” that he had committed wrongdoing.
But aside from that meeting, the Trump administration took no public action to encourage Whelan’s release, so he asked the then president for help during a court appearance on June 20, 2019.
“Mr. President, America cannot be kept great unless American citizens are actively protecting and defending them wherever they are in the world. said from the dock.
Trump never tweeted about himself and never raised his allegations when he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the G20 in June 2019.
But the then president tasked Special Envoy Robert O’Brien in charge of the hostage issue to handle another matter of great importance to Trump. He traveled to Stockholm, Sweden to observe the trial of another American rapper, A$AP Rocky. Trump repeatedly tweeted about an entertainer whose real name is Rakim Meyers after he was arrested on suspicion of assault by Swedish police.
O’Brien told reporters at the time that he had come to “support family members and American citizens.” It was done.
Unlike the espionage charges against Mr. Whelan, which the US government has long admitted to fabricating, Mr. Whelan and members of his entourage were caught on video punching and kicking a man he later claimed was after him. was taken.
Despite ignoring Mr. Whelan’s plight, Mr. Trump intimidated then-Swedish Prime Minister Stefan Robben into avoiding court proceedings and releasing A$AP Rocky, giving him the bail he needed to get him out of custody. He even offered to pay the money personally.
When Robben declined, the then president took to Twitter to denounce the Swedish authorities, writing: “Give A$AP Rocky his freedom. We do a lot for Sweden, but it seems not the other way around.” Sweden should focus on real crime problems!”
