The sister to former marine Paul Whelan, who has been locked up abroad in a Russian prison for some years, is frustrated that the Biden administration will not even so much as make a call to Whelan’s family to offer condolences, but has made a spectacle out of WNBA basketball player Britney Griner’s arrest.
In 2018 Whelan was arrested in a Russian hotel on charges of espionage, spying on Russian affairs for the United States. He was officially sentenced in 2020, where he was given a 16-year prison sentence of hard labor in a Mordovian prison camp. Whelan for years pleaded his innocence.
More recently, women’s professional basketball star Britney Griner was arrested and pleaded guilty to drug charges while in Russia.
The Biden administration has been very vocal in seeing that she be released, but has ignored Whelan who has still been imprisoned. Whelan’s sister was not happy about this, feeling slighted, speaking on behalf of other families as well and that Biden was picking favorites.
She told CNN:
It’s really wonderful. They have resources far beyond what our family does. Our concern is, why the outreach to some families and not others. There are 55-plus families that would like to have that same attention.
David Whelan, Paul’s twin brother, not only slammed Biden but former President Trump as well, telling The Detroit News,
I don’t begrudge Ms. Griner and her supporters their success in getting the president’s attention while he ignores so many other families.
It suggests the only way to get the White House’s attention, under President Trump or President Biden, is to have celebrity and wealth and resources that most wrongful detainees do not have.
Since his detainment in 2018 and subsequent confinement in 2020, Whelan had pleaded for Trump to spring him out of jail by negotiating with Putin, after habitually pleading that he is innocent. According to a multitude of outlets at the time, namely Politico and The Atlantic, reported how the Trump administration took a very flippant and dismissive approach to Whelan’s arrest.
In 2020 The New Yorker confirmed Whelan’s brother’s frustrations, writing:
However Whelan was to be freed, it was clear that any deal would require attention at the highest levels of the White House and the State Department. But that was not forthcoming. Shortly after Whelan was arrested, then national-security adviser John Bolton brought his case to Trump’s attention. “Trump clearly had no interest in doing anything,” a former senior U.S. official said.
Rather than risk a negative response from the President that would tie the hands of U.S. negotiators, the National Security Council staff and officials in other departments decided that the better course of action was to try to negotiate an agreement to secure Whelan’s release at lower levels. The idea, the former senior U.S. official said, was that negotiators might manage to succeed on their own, “and then we can just tell Trump that the guy is out,” or they could get close to a deal and ask Trump for his involvement at the very end: “We could come and say, ‘We’re this close. We just need a little push to get it over the line.’”
In some cases where Americans are held abroad, Trump has been spurred into action. In 2018, Trump demanded that Turkey release Brunson, the evangelical pastor who was arrested by Turkish authorities in 2016. The Trump Administration sanctioned two Turkish officials and raised tariffs on Turkish steel and aluminum. In 2018, Brunson was convicted by a Turkish court but sentenced to time served and returned to the U.S. Unlike Brunson’s release, which could help Trump with his evangelical base, “there was no constituency for Whelan” that had Trump’s ear, the former Administration official said.
In the summer of 2019, Trump threw himself and the power of the U.S. Presidency into the detention of A$AP Rocky, a rapper who was charged with assault after a fight in Stockholm that July. Trump called the Swedish Prime Minister to press for A$AP Rocky’s release, according to the former senior U.S. official. Later that month, Robert O’Brien, then the Trump Administration’s envoy for hostage affairs and now national-security adviser, flew to Sweden and showed up at the courtroom for the start of the trial. “The President wanted more attention to it,” the former senior U.S. official said O’Brien told him, in explaining his extraordinary personal involvement in the case. In August, A$AP Rocky left Sweden by private jet; he was eventually found guilty but given a suspended sentence. “The whole A$AP Rocky case became a ridiculous diversion,” the former U.S. official said. By contrast, the official said, “Whelan was too messy.”
On top of that, some may recall that in 2017 Trump negotiated a prisoner exchange for several UCLA basketball players who were caught stealing during a visit in China. The players were very apologetic and Trump encouraged them on Twitter:
To the three UCLA basketball players I say: You’re welcome, go out and give a big Thank You to President Xi Jinping of China who made – your release possible and, HAVE A GREAT LIFE! Be careful, there are many pitfalls on the long and winding road of life!
Bringing it back to present times, it was revealed yesterday, after Whelan’s family made some noise, the U.S. and Russia are now finally making headway on a prisoner exchange that includes both Griner and Whelan.
It means a lot to know for a fact rather than just to hope a concession was made by the U.S. government. But until Paul’s on the plane home, I’m not really going to get my hopes up.
David Whelan, told NewsNation
The U.S. would exchange Russian nationalist Viktor Bout, who was sentenced to 25-years for supplying weapons to a terrorist organization and conspiring to kill Americans, according to Axios.
But Trump is not in favor of the deal, claiming that it “doesn’t seem like a very good trade.” In an interview Clay Travis and Buck Sexton, Travis asked for Trump’s thoughts on the deal. Trump made no reference to Whelan, but condemned Griner’s actions and essentially implied that Grinder got what she deserved.
AUTHOR COMMENTARY
He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.
[23] These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment. [24] He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him: [25] But to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them. [26] Every man shall kiss his lips that giveth a right answer.Proverbs 17:15, 24:23-26
What we have here are two puppet presidents that are only interested in making themselves look good to the dumbed-down populous, by praising celebrities and athletes, and giving the greenlight to their rich friends; but the grunts and serfs are just gum on the bottom of their shoes, that are smeared off on the sidewalk to be forgotten about. News flash: they don’t care about you.
“Let them eat cake” is all they are saying.
Every time the U.S. does this, it sends a pertinent message across the world: that the “land of the free, home of the brave” is more concerned with patronizing and bailing out spoiled and wicked celebrities, than the average Joe on the street, regardless if the detainees are worthy of their sentence. Griner is getting all the attention because, not only is she an athlete and popular with people, she’s a woman, she’s black, and she’s a sodomite: a trinity the televisers adore. Trump’s hypocrisy should be duly noted as well, though all the Trumpers will ignore this blatant and typical hypocrisy from him, and look for excuses to justify the lying.
[7] Who goeth a warfare any time at his own charges? who planteth a vineyard, and eateth not of the fruit thereof? or who feedeth a flock, and eateth not of the milk of the flock? [8] Say I these things as a man? or saith not the law the same also? [9] For it is written in the law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the mouth of the ox that treadeth out the corn. Doth God take care for oxen? [10] Or saith he it altogether for our sakes? For our sakes, no doubt, this is written: that he that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope. (1 Corinthians 9:7-10).
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Imagine that you misspoke and butchered a verse of scripture (you basically tried to remember parts of the verse which were scrambled and may have partially been in there and spoke them, and abandoned that and spoke instead what your thought the verse said even though you knew it wasn’t 100% exact), then seeing an image in your head of someone flipping through the scriptures because they didn’t wanna mess the verse up, but ignoring that like a fool because the point you were trying to get across was done or something like that, and instead, being lazy like it doesn’t matter, and perhaps thinking later that the Revelation verse isn’t applicable for today, etc. when your phone was literally right there, 123 easy quick look up to correct that verse you were trying to quote (you’d even looked up a verse not too long before that!) You didn’t intend on messing up the verse initially, but because you sat there and perhaps thought it was okay because the point you were trying to get across happened, you still sat there and didn’t look it up and correct it on the spot when you should have. Lake of fire is gonna suck.
Rahab, God is not like that….and imagination is corrupt, his word is not. In such a case you simply repent toward God & ask his mercy & grace, perhaps get it right with whoever you were communicating the scripture to & may have inadvertently misled, according to the situation…..and continue on wiser for the experience & chastening, more cautious with the handling & sharing of God’s word. The lake of fire is for willful, unrepentant sinners: are you unrepentant? Satan will try to accuse & deceive you to paralyze you, get you to stop serving the Lord & sharing the word & Gospel, to focus on your own frailties & failings & magnifying them, rather than you focusing on the Lord, his amazing love & grace toward repentant sinners, & his able perfection & power. Don’t believe his slanders of the Lord’s good will & intent toward you. Romans 8:28 ….if you weren’t called, or were reprobate: you wouldn’t care one way or the other about his word….just go to him & get it right. You don’t need a forum or consensus of men, or vain imagination & speculation: just you & him, prayer & his word. Trust his promises & his grace to keep you.
@kddlporter Yes I did come back like a day or two later with a correction for my mom after I watched Bryan’s vid God’s Curse on Bible Corruptors, full of fear. Sorry I left out the part where I believe I said, “in the Bible”. If you say “in the Bible”, shouldn’t it be word for word there, and there better not be anything added or taken away? All I had to do was look it up. Wasn’t difficult. And of course there was that image put in my head, yet I ignored it. I don’t know if I can get saved. I may be too evil for God to save. KJV is God’s word, I’ve believed that and still do, yet I messed it up. God would have been a wonderful Father. You guys paint such a lovely picture of Him – the perfect parent. I wish his grace and mercy were for me, but I think I might be too evil. Too many coincidental things have happened— The only thing that matters in this life is getting saved, and I think I’ve destroyed my chance. I don’t believe that I’ve been called yet — I guess that’s when the Holy Spirit comes and guides you with the Bible? Is that what … if I will get called??? What exactly does that mean? I hope you’re right. That whole satanic AI thing I mentioned before has been really messing with me over thinking I’m damned, and it’s funny how weird things are coincidentally occurring.
Reminds you of Felix and Festus in the book of Acts, doesn’t it? Felix wanted money out of the situation with Paul’s imprisonment & didn’t care about justice….even trembling at the implications of Paul’s preaching, and with better information of the events with Christ & political intrigues of the Jewish leadership, having a Jewish insider for a wife, he set it aside & left Paul imprisoned when he was transferred out of the office. Festus was trying to cultivate favor with the Jews, and hob-nobbing with Agrippa seeking elite favor, with both of them setting aside truth & justice to leave Paul imprisoned, knowing he was unjustly accused…Agrippa adding to his sin of sending Christ to an unjust death. So far as we know, none of them repented. More likely some of the watching & witnessing peons came to the end of themselves & their senses to repent, though. The choice to pursue power & ambition at any cost destroy the souls of many, and by the time most men reach to that height of power and/or wealth it pretty much owns them. I don’t think any of them care about the little guys & justice in the Trump & Biden circles, but sometimes their desire to look like heroes & good guys can turn to a good work here & there. It spoke volumes when Trump promoted sodomites to positions of power, & pardoned the opiates people & other assorted cronies, & left Lisa Miller in prison. Both of him, & of those ‘conservative evangelicals’ who never made a peep over it. Others came to their senses along the way & spoke out….to their ‘canceling’ & sharing in Christ’s suffering so far as the world is concerned, but to their eternal credit with God & to peace & right relationship with him where it most matters.
Britney Griner is learning the hard way and she’s getting a taste of the government and movement that she’s in favor of (communism): and she’s discovering that she hates it.
I am making $92 an hour working from home. i was greatly surprised at the same time as my neighbour advised me she changed into averaging $ninety five however I see the way it works now. I experience mass freedom now that I’m my non-public boss. That is what I do… http://www.Jobs234.com
Britney is a man who claims to be a female by identification (in his own mind however) in order to dominate the basketball court with real women who compete just to keep up. That enough should be the reason for him being in jail.
As for spitting on the American Flag, its way of life and his racist comments about anyone not black…he has a lot of time to himself to reflect on his own words and actions. Enjoy…