After his arrest and trial, Whelan kind of got lost in the news cycle until this latest swap with BG and only BG and Whelan once again was left behind. Some background:
https://news.yahoo.com/paul-whelan-105811810.html
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/who-is ... t-exchangeA U.S.-Russia prisoner swap of WNBA player Brittney Griner for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout has put a renewed spotlight on Paul Whelan, another American detained by the Kremlin. U.S. officials say that despite their best efforts, they haven't been able to secure his release. Is Whelan's conviction for alleged espionage making negotiations more difficult? Here's everything you need to know:
Who is Paul Whelan?
Paul Whelan, 52, is a U.S. citizen who has been detained in Russia on espionage charges for the past four years. Whelan, a former U.S. Marine, also has citizenship in Ireland, Britain, and Canada. He worked in law enforcement before and after his military service. At the time of his arrest, Whelan was working as the director of global security for BorgWarner, an auto parts supplier based in Michigan.
Whelan served in the Marine Corps Reserve from 1994 to 2008. While serving in the Marines, he did two deployments to Iraq and rose to the rank of staff sergeant. He worked as an administrative clerk and chief before being discharged in 2008 for bad conduct. The Marine Corps found him guilty of multiple charges, including attempting to steal $10,000 from the U.S. government while deployed to Iraq in 2006, according to records obtained by The Washington Post.
Whelan's family says he first visited Russia while stationed in Iraq and returned to visit the country often over the past few years. Several of Whelan's Russian acquaintances described him as a friendly man with a great appreciation for Russia and a basic command of their language, per the Post.
The Fox version. Granted it's early and I'm still waking up, but I don't seem to see any mention of his departure from the Marines, which is similar to what's being touted by the Rs all over the internet, along with the memory lapse that Whelan was a prisoner for what, two years? under tfg's administration and they did nothing to try to get him home.
