{"id":2318532,"date":"2024-08-03T04:33:02","date_gmt":"2024-08-03T08:33:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-whelan-familys-nightmare-ends-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-08-03T04:39:39","modified_gmt":"2024-08-03T08:39:39","slug":"the-whelan-familys-nightmare-ends-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/the-whelan-familys-nightmare-ends-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"The Whelan family\u2019s nightmare ends &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fthe-whelan-familys-nightmare-ends-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2318532&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The Whelan family&#8217;s ordeal has concluded with\u2064 the return of Paul Whelan, a \u200cformer Marine, to the United States after more than five years\u200d in a\u200b Russian prison. Arrested on December 28, 2018, while attending a wedding in\u200c Moscow, Whelan was \u200caccused of\u200d espionage. His\u200d case became prominent as the U.S. attempted to negotiate his release, especially following two successful prisoner \u200cswaps during the Biden administration\u200d that did not include him. The Whelan\u200c family felt a deep sense of isolation \u2063and frustration \u200dthroughout the ordeal,\u2063 questioning the\u200d U.S. government&#8217;s efforts on Paul\u2019s \u2063behalf.<\/p>\n<p>Ultimately, the\u2062 breakthrough\u200d for Whelan&#8217;s release involved a complex negotiation where\u200d Germany played a\u200d crucial\u200d role by agreeing to exchange a high-profile Russian prisoner, FSB hitman Vadim Krasikov, in return for Whelan and others. After his release, Whelan expressed the emotional toll of his four years, seven months, and five days in captivity, while his family reflected on the \u200dchallenges they faced in advocating for his release\u200c amidst a \u200dtense geopolitical landscape. The successful exchange marks a significant moment,\u2062 highlighting the ongoing complex \u2064relations between the U.S. and Russia.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">The Whelan family&rsquo;s nightmare ends<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1721983\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The Whelan family nightmare has finally come to a close with former Marine Paul Whelan&rsquo;s return to the United States after he spent more than five grueling years in a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/russia\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Russian<\/a> prison.<\/p>\n<p>Whelan went to Moscow a couple of days before Christmas in 2018 for a former fellow Marine&rsquo;s wedding when he was arrested on allegations he was a spy. He was arrested on Dec. 28, 2018, and was in a Russian prison from that moment until Thursday, when the U.S.,&nbsp;Germany,&nbsp;Norway, Slovenia, Belarus, and Russia agreed to the&nbsp;largest exchange of prisoners&nbsp;between Russia and the West since the Cold War.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Five years, seven months, and five days,&rdquo; Whelan told reporters when he got off the plane in Texas, while his brother, David Whelan, noted in a written statement that Paul Whelan &ldquo;was held hostage for 2,043 days.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Paul Whelan&rsquo;s arrest more than five and a half years ago turned an ordinary family&rsquo;s world upside down.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Paul is not a spy. And his family members are not lobbyists, publicists, negotiators, or specialists<br \/>of any kind when it comes to international hostage scenarios,&rdquo; David Whelan said in a lengthy statement Thursday. &ldquo;While we did our best, as amateurs with limited resources, we do not believe Paul would be <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/dem-congressman-progressives-react-to-rittenhouse-acquittal-white-tears-can-still-forestall-justice\/\" title=\"Dem Congressman, Progressives React To Rittenhouse Acquittal: \u2018White Tears Can Still Forestall Justice\u2019\">free today<\/a> without the expert help we received behind the scenes. The family of a hostage is isolated, and it can be hard to know who can help and who to trust.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">President Joe Biden, right, reaches out to hold hands with Elizabeth Whelan, left, as he delivers remarks on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/10-babylon-bee-headlines-that-no-longer-sound-like-satire\/\" title=\"10 Babylon Bee Headlines That No Longer Sound Like Satire\">prisoner swap<\/a> with Russia from the State Dining Room of the White House, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Evan Vucci)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>When Paul Whelan was arrested, former President <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>Donald Trump<\/a> was in office, Mike Pompeo was the Secretary of State, and President Joe Biden hadn&rsquo;t even declared his candidacy for the 2020 presidential election.<\/p>\n<p>Paul Whelan was sentenced to serve 16 years in prison in June 2020.<\/p>\n<p>Fast forward to the next administration, and Biden agreed to two prisoner exchanges with Russia in 2022.&nbsp;<span style=\"box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;\">Trevor Reed was returned in exchange for Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was jailed in the U.S. on drug smuggling charges in April 2022, and then WNBA player&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/brittney-griner\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brittney Griner<\/a>&nbsp;was exchanged for notori<\/span>ous Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in Dec. 2022.<\/p>\n<p>Paul Whelan was not included in either deal, and while his family was grateful that Reed and Griner returned home, they were devastated at the thought of the U.S. giving up Yaroshenko and Bout without getting their family member and wondered what could be left for the U.S. to entice Russia into giving him up.<\/p>\n<p>The Biden administration said at the time that Moscow viewed Paul Whelan as a higher-valued individual than either Reed or Griner, given his, albeit disputed, espionage conviction.<\/p>\n<p>David Whelan praised the deal to bring Griner home on the day the exchange occurred but called it a &ldquo;catastrophe&rdquo; for his brother.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;How do you continue to survive, day after day, when you know that your government has failed twice to free you from a foreign prison? I can&rsquo;t imagine he retains any hope that a government will negotiate his freedom at this point,&rdquo; David Whelan wrote.&nbsp;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s clear that the US government has no concessions that the Russian government will take for Paul&nbsp;Whelan.&nbsp;And so Paul will remain a prisoner until that changes.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>David Whelan&rsquo;s read on the situation proved correct. As negotiations continued over multiple years, U.S. officials finally came to the conclusion that the U.S. didn&rsquo;t have a Russian asset that could entice them to give up Paul Whelan, but the Germans did.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Elizabeth Whelan, right, greets her brother Paul Whelan at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, following his release as part of a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-attempt-to-mock-trump-after-prisoner-trade-with-russia-blows-up-in-his-face\/\" title=\"Biden&#039;s Attempt to Mock Trump After Prisoner Trade With Russia Blows Up in His Face\">24-person prisoner swap<\/a> between Russia and the United States, Thursday, Aug. 1, 2024. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Moscow made it clear they wanted Germany to give up Vadim Krasikov, an FSB hitman, who was arrested and convicted in Germany for committing the murder of a former Chechen militant in a Berlin park.&nbsp;The Germans were very apprehensive about giving up Krasikov, who German judges said was acting on the orders of Russian authorities when he carried out the murder of Zelimkhan &ldquo;Tornike&rdquo; Khangoshvili in broad daylight on Aug. 23, 2019.<\/p>\n<p>Russia also arrested Evan Gershkovich, a <em>Wall Street Journal <\/em>reporter, in March 2023 on the same espionage charges they did with Whelan. Gershkovich was sentenced to 16 years in prison last month. A month after Gershkovich&rsquo;s arrest, Russian dissident Vladimir&nbsp;Kara-Murza, a Russia-U.K. citizen with a U.S. green card,&nbsp;was sentenced to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/defense-national-security\/russian-opposition-figure-sentenced-to-25-years\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">25 years in prison<\/a>&nbsp;after being found guilty of treason and other offenses relating to his criticism of the war. Alsu Kurmasheva, a U.S.-Russian duel citizen reporter with Radio Free Europe\/Radio Liberty, was arrested in October 2023 and was convicted last month of &ldquo;spreading false information&rdquo; about the military and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/world\/3096426\/russia-assault-media-escalates-sentencing-american-journalists\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>sentenced<\/a> to 6 and a half years in prison.<\/p>\n<p>Their arrests, primarily Gershkovich, further put pressure on the U.S. State Department to come up with a deal to get them all home.<\/p>\n<p>Behind the scenes, the U.S. and Russia were engaged in negotiations as the U.S. sought to convince Germany to give up Krasikov. During that time, however, the Whelan family was left wondering what the administration was doing to secure Paul Whelan&rsquo;s release.<\/p>\n<p>Paul and David Whelan&rsquo;s sister, Elizabeth Whelan, repeatedly traveled to Washington, D.C., for meetings with relevant U.S. officials. Elizabeth Whelan traveled to D.C. in mid-July amid concerns that they had &ldquo;de-prioritized&rdquo; Paul Whelan&rsquo;s case, she told the <em>Washington Examiner<\/em> at the time, though she walked away from those meetings optimistic.<\/p>\n<p>Her meetings &ldquo;totally assuaged,&rdquo; her concerns, she said. &ldquo;So it kind of, from a news point of view, it&rsquo;s a bit of a nothing burger. From a personal point of view, it meant the world to me.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a lot of news about Evan Gershkovich, and we don&rsquo;t begrudge him any of it. Just as we didn&rsquo;t with Brittany. I mean, some people are going to have more celebrity status than others. Paul does not have any celebrity status, so he&rsquo;s going to be mentioned less often,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;But it can be difficult for a family sitting back. My parents are in rural Michigan, and I&rsquo;m in Massachusetts, and looking at that attention, I wonder if that reflects an actual change of priority by the US government.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>It took several months of negotiations, including between the Western allies, but the U.S., Russia, Germany, Belarus, Norway, and Slovenia carried out the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/west-and-russia-agree-to-largest-prisoner-swap-since-cold-war-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"West and Russia agree to largest prisoner swap since Cold War - Washington Examiner\">massive prisoner exchange<\/a> this week. Eight Russians arrested in the U.S., Slovenia, Germany, and Norway were given back to Russia in exchange for the release of Paul Whelan, Gershkovich, Kurmasheva, and Kara-Murza, five Germans (one from Belarus), and seven Russian political dissidents.<\/p>\n<p>Elizabeth Whelan was in the Oval Office with Biden and the families of Gershkovich, Kurmasheva, and Kara-Murza when they spoke on the phone with their loved ones once they were in U.S. custody.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It didn&rsquo;t feel real until we were flying over England. I&rsquo;m a British citizen, Irish citizen, Canadian, and American. So, as we came over England, and I looked down, that&rsquo;s when it became real,&rdquo; Paul Whelan <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/now\/video\/paul-whelan-describes-being-freed-after-years-in-russian-custody-216260165893\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title>said<\/a> in Texas after departing the plane that brought the released prisoners there.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Getting off the plane and seeing the president and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/hunter-biden-defector-emails-pipeline-to-obama-admin-seen-as-currency\/\" title=\"Hunter Biden Defector Emails: &#039;Pipeline&#039; to Obama Admin Seen as &#039;Currency&#039;\">vice president<\/a>, that was nice. It was a good homecoming. So looking forward to seeing my family down here and just recuperating from five years, seven months, and five days of just absolute nonsense by the Russian government,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1721983\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1721983\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The ordeal for the Whelan family has finally concluded with the return of former Marine Paul Whelan to the United States after enduring over five difficult years in a Russian prison. Whelan traveled to Moscow just before Christmas in 2018 to attend a wedding of a fellow Marine when he was arrested on espionage charges. He was detained on December 28, 2018, and remained imprisoned until Thursday, when an agreement was reached among the U.S., Germany, Norway, Slovenia, Belarus, and Russia for the largest prisoner exchange between Russia and Western nations since the Cold War. Upon his arrival in Texas, Whelan told reporters it had been &#8220;five years, seven months, and five days,&#8221; while his brother David noted that Paul had been held captive for 2,043 days.<\/p>\n<p>Paul&#8217;s arrest turned their ordinary lives upside down. David emphasized that &#8220;Paul is not a spy&#8221; and highlighted that their family lacked expertise in international hostage negotiations. Despite their efforts as amateurs with limited resources, they acknowledged that Paul&#8217;s freedom would not have been possible without professional assistance behind the scenes. The isolation faced by families of hostages makes it challenging to identify trustworthy help.<\/p>\n<p>When Paul was arrested during Donald Trump&#8217;s presidency\u2014before Joe Biden announced his candidacy for the 2020 election\u2014he received a sentence of 16 years in prison in June 2020. Under Biden&#8217;s administration in 2022, two significant prisoner exchanges occurred: Trevor Reed returned home after being swapped for Konstantin Yaroshenko (a drug smuggler), and Brittney Griner was exchanged for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout. Unfortunately for Paul&#8217;s family, he wasn&#8217;t included in either exchange; while they were relieved about Reed&#8217;s and Griner\u2019s returns home, they felt devastated at what seemed like concessions made without securing Paul&#8217;s release.<\/p>\n<p>David expressed concern over how Paul could maintain hope knowing his government had failed him twice regarding negotiations for his freedom. He believed there were no concessions left that could persuade Russia to release Paul until circumstances changed.<\/p>\n<p>As discussions continued over several years without success from U.S.-Russia negotiations regarding Paul&#8217;s case specifically\u2014until Germany became involved\u2014the situation shifted when Moscow indicated they wanted Germany to surrender Vadim Krasikov (a convicted FSB hitman). This request raised concerns within Germany due to Krasikov\u2019s ties with Russian authorities during his crime.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to these developments involving Krasikov\u2019s potential exchange deal came further arrests by Russia of individuals like Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich on similar espionage charges as well as dissident Vladimir Kara-Murza sentenced under treason laws\u2014all increasing pressure on U.S officials regarding negotiation strategies.<\/p>\n<p>Throughout this time period leading up towards resolution efforts surrounding Paul\u2019s case specifically left many questions unanswered from both sides about what actions were being taken or prioritized by respective governments involved\u2014including Elizabeth Whelan who frequently visited Washington D.C., seeking clarity but ultimately feeling reassured after meetings despite ongoing media focus elsewhere such as Evan Gershkovich or Brittney Griner cases receiving more attention than her brother&#8217;s plight did at times throughout this process overall which proved challenging emotionally given distance separating them geographically too amidst all these events unfolding around them collectively together now finally culminating into successful outcome achieved recently through collaborative efforts made across multiple nations involved here today!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2671,"featured_media":2318533,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Whelan.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[37077,4133,5342,32076,37076],"class_list":["post-2318532","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-family-tragedy","tag-news","tag-nightmare","tag-washington-examiner","tag-whelan-family"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/Whelan.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2318532","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2671"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2318532"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2318532\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2318533"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2318532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2318532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2318532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}