by Keith Griffith, Elizabeth Elkind and Alex Raskin at Daily Mail
- ‘I’m ready to go home,’ said the former US Marine after four years behind bars
- It followed release of WNBA star Brittney Griner in swap for Russian arms dealer
- GOP Rep. Mike Waltz accused White House of putting ‘celebrities over veterans’
- Saudi Arabia reportedly played a key role in brokering Griner’s release
- Whelan’s twin brother David also spoke out in a statement after Griner’s release
Former US Marine Paul Whelan has spoken out from Russian prison after four years behind bars, slamming the Biden administration for failing to secure his release in the prisoner swap that freed WNBA star Brittney Griner.
Whelan said he was being held as a ‘hostage’ of Russia, and pleaded for the White House to ‘do everything they could to get me home’ as he faces another 12 years in a Russian penal colony on spying charges he says are bogus.
Thursday’s controversial prisoner swap saw Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman help broker Griner’s release in exchange for a Russian arms dealer known as the ‘Merchant of Death’, whose sales have cost countless lives, including those of US servicemen.
Republicans have accused President Joe Biden of favoring celebrities over veterans, as Whelan is left to languish in prison on espionage charges that his family and the US government say are baseless.
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