Former Gov. Bill Richardson to travel to Moscow for talks on freeing Brittney Griner:

[LetMyPeopleVote]

Governor Bill Richardson is a great negotiator

Link to tweet

https://abcnews.go.com/International/gov-bill-richardson-travel-moscow-talks-freeing-brittney/story?id=86531091&cid=social_twitter_abcnp

Former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson is planning to travel to Russia in the near future for talks aimed at finding a deal to free the detained WNBA star Brittney Griner, a source with knowledge of the proposed trip told ABC News.

Richardson, who also served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and energy secretary in the Clinton administration, played a role in achieving a prisoner exchange in April that saw Russia release former U.S. Marine Trevor Reed after nearly two and a half years in captivity.

He is expected to go to Moscow in the next couple of weeks, according to the source, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.

Russia has repeatedly suggested it's interested in trading Griner for Russians held in U.S. prisons. The new trip appears aimed at seeing if a similar deal to the one that freed Reed could be produced for Griner.

Richardson’s office did not confirm the potential visit, telling ABC News “we are unable to comment on this at the moment.”

[a kennedy]

1. Come on Mr. Richardson, get her home safe. 🇺🇸 🇺🇸 🇺🇸

[ripcord]

2. Strange that he is only going for Griner

Must be nice to be a sports star.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

3. I suspect that Ambassador Richardson will be trying to get all hostages out

[ripcord]

4. How can you he so sure?

Richardson was part of the Reed swap and left Whelan behind once already.

[JI7]

6. He left behind Griner also then

As if it was completely up to Richardson and Russians have no say in it.

[ripcord]

8. Griner hadn't had her trial in April

She wasn't eligible for a swap, Whelan was been held longer than Reed had, that is why Reed says Whelan should be the top priority. Griner is sitting in a cell spending her time reading and corresponding, Reed has been in a a labor camp for 3 and a half years but the public and the government are focused on the sports star.

[JI7]

10. If government was focused on sports star why was Reed released

without attention.

Funny how there is resentment against someone still being held than the one released

[LetMyPeopleVote]

7. President Biden calls Paul Whelan's sister after mounting pressure from family

President Biden is also concerned about Paul Whelan and the other hostages

Link to tweet

https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/president-biden-calls-paul-whelans-sister-mounting-pressure/story?id=86491538&cid=social_twitter_abcn

President Joe Biden called the sister of Paul Whelan on Friday to reaffirm his commitment to bringing the former Marine home from Russia, according to a White House official, marking the first time the family has been contacted by the president.

"Today, President Biden called Elizabeth Whelan, the sister of Paul Whelan who has been wrongfully detained by Russia since 2018," a White House official said.

The call comes two days after his sister voiced her disappointment on Twitter after learning that the president and vice president had called the wife of Brittney Griner, a WNBA star who has been detained in Russia since Feb. 17.

"Still looking for that press release saying @POTUS has spoken to anyone in OUR family about #PaulWhelan, wrongfully detained in #Russia for 3.5 years," Elizabeth Whelan said on Twitter on Wednesday.

[ripcord]

9. Whelan's family was and is an afterthought

Griner has been held for 6 months and the President has responded to a letter from Griner, he and the Vice President called Griner's wife. After all this time the President finally called Whelan' sister after they put pressure on him, he still hasn't answered Whelan's question of why he was left as a Russian hostage in a labor camp after the last swap.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

5. Good on Bill, but I do hope he delivers a broader message to those tRump-lovin pricks.

[FakeNoose]

11. I'm sure there will be prisoners swapped

Also I'm pretty sure we'll never hear the entire story.

But I trust Joe Biden, and HE trusts Bill Richardson. So this is going to happen.