If Trump stopped Russia from keeping Paul as being Legally Kidnapped by adopting him, that would be an easy exchange for freedom in automatic asset forfeiture.
I like transposable child welfare models, for castigation purposes, only.
But, I sincerely doubt that Trump is going to do anything except to continue to obstruct justice, by keeping that IG report burning a hole in his backpocket.
Maybe Putin will pull out his GRU report, burning a hole in his backpocket, so Trump will not have to release any of that sealed, grand jury information.
That would be quite nice if he did, I say!
Accused spy Paul Whelan makes plea from Russia, asks Trump to intervene
From inside a glass enclosure in Moscow City Court, accused spy Paul Whelan appealed Thursday to President Donald Trump to intervene in his case, saying he is a victim of "political kidnapping."“Mr. President, we cannot keep America great unless we aggressively protect American citizens wherever they are in the world,” Whelan, 49, of Novi told reporters.
He urged the president to Tweet about his intentions.
To date, Trump has remained quiet about Whelan, a former Marine who was the director of global security for the Auburn Hills-based auto supplier BorgWarner when he was arrested in his Moscow hotel in December and accused of spying.
Though Trump has yet to make a statement (or Tweet) about Whelan, others in his administration — most recently U.S. National Security Adviser John Bolton — have spoken out against the continued detention of an American citizen without evidence from the Russian government to support its claims of espionage.
The Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) alleges Whelan was caught in possession of a flash drive containing classified information at his hotel in Moscow. Whelan has told his lawyers that the flash drive came from a Russian friend, and that he was under the impression that it only contained photos of the friend's hometown.
The court ruled Thursday that Whelan's continued detention is legal, and that he is to remain locked up in Lefortovo prison while an investigation continues.
"There will be another extension of Paul's detention in August, before the 28th of August," Olga Karlova, one of Whelan's attorneys, told the Free Press in an email message. "Maybe the core hearing will be in autumn.
"We have been working on this case for six months already and we didn't see any real evidence. We tried to convince the court today to change the detention to house arrest. Paul said his position to the judge (that he is innocent), but everything was in vain."
Karlova said that the Russian Criminal Procedure Code doesn't require the court to consider the question of guilt or innocence at this stage of the process.
"We haven't seen all the evidence yet," she said. "It'll be possible only after the finish of the investigation."
If Whelan is convicted of spying, he could be imprisoned for up to 20 years.
In his statement in court Thursday, Whelan — who was born in Canada to British parents and holds U.S., British, Canadian and Irish citizenship — also asked for assistance from Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, British Prime Minister Theresa May and Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.
“I am asking the leaders and governments in Ottawa, Dublin, London and Washington for their help and public statements of support,” he said, standing inside a glass cage.
"Time works against Paul," his brother David Whelan said in an email message. "Russian police continue to isolate Paul, who has limited communication with Embassy staff and has received only a handful of letters during the nearly six months of his imprisonment. Without evidence, the FSB's only option is to coerce a confession from Paul."
Accused spy Paul Whelan, right, as seen prior to a hearing in Moscow City Court on June 20, 2019, where he appealed the extension of his detention. Whelan, a citizen of the United States, Britain, Canada and Ireland, was detained on suspicion of spying by Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) in December in Moscow.
David Whelan said his brother is "an American businessman, a tourist, falsely accused and facing another three months of wrongful imprisonment. Three more months with an angry FSB investigator who is violating Russian and international law, and who has substantial control over Paul's welfare. The sooner he is returned to his family in the U.S., the better."
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