According to the wiki link in post #34. Whelan went to Russia to attend a wedding with $80,000. He spent a day alone instead of with wedding party and met with some Russian who gave him a list of some classified information. This is why he is still over there. I take back what I wrote in a prior post, that there should have been a two for one. I did not know that he had a dishonorable discharge from the Marines. This explains why he has not been saved by either Trump or Biden. Whelan is going to have to do his time, whatever that is.
Originally Posted by adav8s28
which is why i posted it. many didn't know Whelan is a disgraced ex-marine, not a former marine. actually a bad conduct discharge, not quite as bad as a dishonorable but close enough.
the reports he had 80,000 in cash, a rather suspicious amount to travel with, are probably credible since the outlet reporting it was founded by Mikhail Khodorkovsky, not exactly someone likely to promote Russian propaganda. for those who might not recognize the name, he's the Russian oligarch who crossed Putin and got thrown in jail for about a decade before Putin finally let him out.
it's possible Whelan was setup by FSB as it was reported they showed up immediately after his FSB friend did.
it's also what he gets for cultivating a FSB contact in the first place. and was that 80k really to buy the info on that flashdrive?
Griner's situation is far less complex than Whelan's. she's basically a victim of her own bad judgement however in the US her offense would be a fine. in Russia it's 9 years. would the average Russian get 9 years? probably not however Russia is very harsh on that type of crime, far harsher than the US.
clearly Griner was given a harsh sentence length as leverage for a deal. without one she'd do every day of that 9 years as i'm pretty sure Russia doesn't give early release for good behavior and parole is all but impossible to get.
these exchanges are typically one for one so it was unlikely Whelan was going to bundled with Griner for Bout.
Russia is willing to release Whelan however what they are asking for isn't within the US's ability to give. according to new reports in the wake of the exchange with Griner they want a Russian officer currently held in Germany on murder charges and Germany won't allow it.
Moscow wanted Russian colonel jailed on murder charges released for Paul Whelan: report
https://www.yahoo.com/news/moscow-wa...203324391.html
Russia reportedly asked U.S. authorities to help free a Russian spy imprisoned for murder in Germany in exchange for releasing wrongfully detained ex-Marine Paul Whelan.
American officials
told CNN on Friday that they shared multiple other options for the trade but that the Kremlin would only consider former colonel Vadim Krasikov, who is serving a life sentence.
The German government was unwilling to cooperate with the U.S. to free Krasikov, according to contacts on both sides.
Russia and the U.S.
agreed on Thursday to exchange WNBA player Brittney Griner, sentenced to nine years for carrying illegal cannabis oil, for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who is a decade into his 25-year prison sentence for conspiring to murder Americans.
Originally Posted by Tsmokies
