Paul Whelan’s sister calls out WH after Biden, Harris reach out to Griner wife
The sister of Paul Whelan, an American who has been held in Russia since 2018, questioned why his family hasn’t received a call from the White House after President Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris reached out to the wife of Brittney Griner to “reassure” her of their efforts to free the WNBA star.
“To begin with, we don’t begrudge the Griner family and their supporters any of the attention that they’re getting from the president,” Elizabeth Whelan told
CNN Wednesday. “I mean, it’s really wonderful. They have resources far beyond what our family does.
“I think our concern is, you know, why the outreach to some families and not others?” Whelan added. “There are 55-plus families who would like to have that same degree of attention. My brother’s written to both presidents [Trump and Biden] and people throughout Congress, hundreds and hundreds of letters during the three-and-a-half years that he’s been held.”
Paul Whelan, a former US Marine, is serving a
16-year prison sentence after being arrested in Moscow on espionage charges in 2018.
Whelan went on to say that she had sent the administration four letters, emailed White House chief of staff Ron Klain and asked national security adviser Jake Sullivan to set up a meeting, but it “hasn’t happened yet.”
Paul Whelan's sister calls out Biden and Harris after Griner gets phone call