米兰体育

Skip to content
NOWCAST 6PM WEEKDAY NEWSCAST
Watch on Demand
Advertisement

Sister of Paul Whelan seeks meeting with Biden to press him on her brother鈥檚 release

Sister of Paul Whelan seeks meeting with Biden to press him on her brother鈥檚 release
We never forgot about Brittany. We've not forgotten about paul Whelan who has been unjustly detained in Russia for years. This was not *** choice of which american to bring home. We brought home Trevor reed when we had *** chance earlier this year, sadly, for totally illegitimate reasons, Russia is treating paul's case differently than Brittany's. And while we have not yet succeeded in securing paul's release, we are not giving up. We will never give up. We remain in close touch with Paul's family. The wheel and family. And my thoughts and prayers are with them today. They have to have such mixed emotions today, and we'll keep negotiating in good faith for paul's release. I guarantee that I say that to the family. I guarantee you. I urge Russia to do the same to ensure that paul's health and you and your main treatment maintained until we are able to bring him home. I don't want any american to sit wrongfully detained and one extra day, if we can bring that person home
Advertisement
Sister of Paul Whelan seeks meeting with Biden to press him on her brother鈥檚 release
The sister of Paul Whelan, an American who has been declared wrongfully detained in Russia, is hoping to meet again with President Joe Biden to press him to do everything he can to bring her brother home.Video above: Biden comments on Paul Whelan in December 2022Elizabeth Whelan, who is in Washington, DC, this week for a series of meetings with administration and congressional officials, expressed her appreciation for the administration鈥檚 efforts but said the president will eventually need to intervene.As of Wednesday night, no meeting with Biden had been scheduled, she told CNN鈥檚 Erin Burnett on 鈥淥utFront,鈥� adding that she had learned earlier in the day that she 鈥減robably will not get that meeting.鈥濃淚 have to say that I am a little frustrated and trying not to be depressed. I don鈥檛 have a lot of leverage to use to get meetings 鈥� like I am not a big media company, I don鈥檛 have a lot of expensive lawyers,鈥� Elizabeth Whelan said, noting that she will keep fighting for her brother.Earlier Wednesday, she told CNN that though she admires the work being done by the Biden administration on her brother鈥檚 behalf, she feels they have only leveraged 80% of possible efforts to secure his release.鈥淚 admire what they鈥檙e doing on the 80%. I really admire that they鈥檙e doing great work, but if it doesn鈥檛 get Paul home, what鈥檚 the point?鈥� Elizabeth Whelan said.鈥淎nd that鈥檚 a key area of frustration and that is why I wanted to meet with the president. I want to have his assurance that his advisers are telling him everything that needs to be done to get to 100%,鈥� she said.Biden met with Elizabeth Whelan in September 2022. At the time, the U.S. president also met with the Cherelle Griner, the wife of formally detained WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was freed in a prisoner swap in December.鈥淚t鈥檚 very much in the forefront of my mind that I was getting meetings and calls while Brittany Griner was being held. But now that she has been released, does that mean that an ordinary citizen like Paul Whelan and his family is no longer able to access those high levels?鈥� she asked.A National Security Council spokesperson said that U.S. officials would meet with Elizabeth Whelan but said they did not have specific meetings to preview as of Wednesday.鈥淚 don鈥檛 have any meetings with the president to speak to but she is in town and she is going to be meeting with the White House officials and it will be a good opportunity to update her on our efforts to get Paul back. Those efforts are very active and very ongoing,鈥� said White House Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby Wednesday.The Biden administration has said repeatedly that they are focused on bringing Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter who has also been designated by the U.S. government as wrongfully detained, home as soon as possible.The administration put forward a serious proposal for Whelan鈥檚 release more than eight months ago, but Russia has not responded in a substantive way, two administration officials told CNN.And although that proposal remains a live offer, the lack of substantive Russian response 鈥� as well as Gerskovich鈥檚 detention 鈥� has forced the U.S. to continue efforts to search for another offer to put on the table, a senior administration official said last month.The senior administration official said that it 鈥渞emains a necessity that we figure out how to resolve this.鈥濃淚f we can鈥檛 make it happen based on what鈥檚 available to us now, we鈥檒l need to figure out what that takes so we can bring our people home,鈥� the official said.Last month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone with Paul Whelan and told him to 鈥渒eep the faith and we鈥檙e doing everything we can to bring you home as soon as possible,鈥� a source said. This was the second time Blinken had spoken to Whelan, who has been detained in Russia for more than four years, the source said.On Wednesday, U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy visited Paul Whelan at his remote prison camp in Mordovia 鈥� some eight hours from Moscow, according to the embassy.鈥淎mbassador Tracy reiterated to him that President Biden and Secretary Blinken are committed to bring him home,鈥� State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said Wednesday.David Whelan, Paul鈥檚 brother, told CNN recently that his family is beginning to come to terms with the fact that Paul Whelan may have to serve out his full sixteen year sentence on espionage charges he and the U.S. government vehemently denied.Elizabeth Whelan鈥檚 view, however, 鈥渋s Paul is never coming home until we do what it takes to get him out,鈥� she told CNN.鈥淗e is not leaving Russia and everybody needs to get that in their heads and work with that in mind, work to win now in the next few months. I am really concerned that we will not see Paul back in the United States again ever if that work isn鈥檛 done,鈥� she said.

The sister of Paul Whelan, an American who has been declared wrongfully detained in Russia, is hoping to meet again with President Joe Biden to press him to do everything he can to bring her brother home.

Video above: Biden comments on Paul Whelan in December 2022

Advertisement

Elizabeth Whelan, who is in Washington, DC, this week for a series of meetings with administration and congressional officials, expressed her appreciation for the administration鈥檚 efforts but said the president will eventually need to intervene.

As of Wednesday night, no meeting with Biden had been scheduled, she told CNN鈥檚 Erin Burnett on 鈥淥utFront,鈥� adding that she had learned earlier in the day that she 鈥減robably will not get that meeting.鈥�

鈥淚 have to say that I am a little frustrated and trying not to be depressed. I don鈥檛 have a lot of leverage to use to get meetings 鈥� like I am not a big media company, I don鈥檛 have a lot of expensive lawyers,鈥� Elizabeth Whelan said, noting that she will keep fighting for her brother.

Earlier Wednesday, she told CNN that though she admires the work being done by the Biden administration on her brother鈥檚 behalf, she feels they have only leveraged 80% of possible efforts to secure his release.

鈥淚 admire what they鈥檙e doing on the 80%. I really admire that they鈥檙e doing great work, but if it doesn鈥檛 get Paul home, what鈥檚 the point?鈥� Elizabeth Whelan said.

鈥淎nd that鈥檚 a key area of frustration and that is why I wanted to meet with the president. I want to have his assurance that his advisers are telling him everything that needs to be done to get to 100%,鈥� she said.

Biden met with Elizabeth Whelan in September 2022. At the time, the U.S. president also met with the Cherelle Griner, the wife of formally detained WNBA star Brittney Griner, who was freed in a prisoner swap in December.

鈥淚t鈥檚 very much in the forefront of my mind that I was getting meetings and calls while Brittany Griner was being held. But now that she has been released, does that mean that an ordinary citizen like Paul Whelan and his family is no longer able to access those high levels?鈥� she asked.

A National Security Council spokesperson said that U.S. officials would meet with Elizabeth Whelan but said they did not have specific meetings to preview as of Wednesday.

鈥淚 don鈥檛 have any meetings with the president to speak to but she is in town and she is going to be meeting with the White House officials and it will be a good opportunity to update her on our efforts to get Paul back. Those efforts are very active and very ongoing,鈥� said White House Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby Wednesday.

The Biden administration has said repeatedly that they are focused on bringing Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich, the Wall Street Journal reporter who has also been designated by the U.S. government as wrongfully detained, home as soon as possible.

The administration put forward a serious proposal for Whelan鈥檚 release more than eight months ago, but Russia has not responded in a substantive way, two administration officials told CNN.

And although that proposal remains a live offer, the lack of substantive Russian response 鈥� as well as Gerskovich鈥檚 detention 鈥� has forced the U.S. to continue efforts to search for another offer to put on the table, a senior administration official said last month.

The senior administration official said that it 鈥渞emains a necessity that we figure out how to resolve this.鈥�

鈥淚f we can鈥檛 make it happen based on what鈥檚 available to us now, we鈥檒l need to figure out what that takes so we can bring our people home,鈥� the official said.

Last month, Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke by phone with Paul Whelan and told him to 鈥渒eep the faith and we鈥檙e doing everything we can to bring you home as soon as possible,鈥� a source said. This was the second time Blinken had spoken to Whelan, who has been detained in Russia for more than four years, the source said.

On Wednesday, U.S. Ambassador to Russia Lynne Tracy visited Paul Whelan at his remote prison camp in Mordovia 鈥� some eight hours from Moscow, according to the embassy.

鈥淎mbassador Tracy reiterated to him that President Biden and Secretary Blinken are committed to bring him home,鈥� State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said Wednesday.

David Whelan, Paul鈥檚 brother, told CNN recently that his family is beginning to come to terms with the fact that Paul Whelan may have to serve out his full sixteen year sentence on espionage charges he and the U.S. government vehemently denied.

Elizabeth Whelan鈥檚 view, however, 鈥渋s Paul is never coming home until we do what it takes to get him out,鈥� she told CNN.

鈥淗e is not leaving Russia and everybody needs to get that in their heads and work with that in mind, work to win now in the next few months. I am really concerned that we will not see Paul back in the United States again ever if that work isn鈥檛 done,鈥� she said.