Trevor Reed speaks out on Russia's detention of Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan

[ripcord]

Reed said the Biden administration is "not doing enough" to free Griner and Whelan.

"I hope that President Biden and his administration will do everything possible to get both, you know, Brittney and Paul out of Russia, and that they will do that immediately," he told ABC News. "Because every day that, you know, they sit here and wait to make a decision is one more day that, you know, Paul and Brittney are suffering."

Reed noted that freeing Whelan "needs to be the no. 1 priority there, just simply based off of the fact that he's been there the longest." He also criticized the Biden administration for contacting Griner's family but not Whelan's.

"They called Brittney's family, and I'm extremely excited that they did that. I think that's a step in the right direction," Reed said. "But, at the same time, they did not contact Paul Whelan's family and he's been there for longer than I was even in Russia."

https://abcnews.go.com/International/trevor-reed-speaks-russias-detention-brittney-griner-paul/story?id=86435034

Hopefully they don't get so excited over freeing a sports star that they ignore Whelan again.

[karynnj]

1. I understand his need to speak out, but it is likely true he knows nothing about what is possible

It could be that Russia agreed to a deal for him because his charge was essentially related to being drunk and disorderly. With Whalen he is accused of espionage and he is a security official. Griner has what is both a plus and a minus -- she is famous.

From following hearings etc in the Obama administration, I heard one very good explanation of why hostage negotiations don't involve the secretary of state. In a House hearing, Secretary Kerry was asked about several people held in Iran - including an Idaho missionary who returned to Iran after being imprisoned and released for proselytizing . His answer was he did bring up the hostages in every meeting, but there was a separate team working to get them out. In response to push back on that, he explained that "you would not want me" to make additional concessions (in things like monitoring or how much material they could produce).

Now, that response fits here too, Biden and Blinken should NOT make geopolitical concessions to get these 2 (and possibly other ) Americans out. I completely get the unfairness and the pain that Griner and her family and friends face. There is a person whose position is dealing with getting hostages out. Obviously, that person will have the diplomatic skills and insight of what has worked in the past. It has been said that release will likely be a trade for Russians arrested, convicted and imprisoned here. It is very possible that the hostage negotiator was able to get a deal on Reed when he did, but could not find a deal for Whelan.

As important as getting freedom is to those imprisioned, this is really not among the top thing a President or his cabinet has to do. As to his criticism of Biden, consider that ALL we know of him is that he was a 20 something guy in Russia to visit a Russian girl friend who is accused of getting drunk. Being imprisioned not make him a foreign policy expert or a hero.