Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who was released by Russia on Thursday as part of a prisoner swap, after having been arrested and accused of being an American spy (nonsense, of course), made a final request before he was released: He wanted to interview Vladimir Putin.
The WSJ reported that Gershkovich had received a form to request presidential clemency from Putin in the days leading up to his release. When he filled out the form, the journalist used the final line to snidely ask the Russian dictator —who’s not a fan of Western media — if he would sit down for an interview. You won’t be shocked to hear this, but the interview neither happened nor did Gershkovich receive a response.
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The prisoner exchange, the largest in post-Soviet Union history, involved 24 people, and “many months” of negotiations and concessions from the U.S. and European countries that released Russians as part of the deal.
Let’s be clear.
Russia (Putin) intentionally takes American and Western European citizens hostage, later to be used as bargaining chips, to gain the release of Russian intelligence agents. It’s a sticky wicket to accept, and there remains no easy answer or solution as to whether it’s right or wrong to play Putin’s game.
Here’s more:
It was also revealed that Gershkovich was subjected to a 23-hour solitary confinement regime while inside a 9-foot-by-12 foot cell at Moscow’s notorious Lefortovo Prison, which is home to serial killers and political prisoners.
In the little time he was not in his cell reading books and letters sent to him by loved ones and supporters, Gershkovich was forced to face chief investigator Alexei Khizhnyak, the same man who threatened to kill Whelan, according to the WSJ.
Fortunately for Gershkovich, he discovered that Khizhnyak was a fan of English Premier League club Liverpool, a rival to his own beloved club Arsenal. He also used his newfound knowledge on Russia’s literary classics to chat with the investigator.
Gershkovich and the other freed prisoners were ultimately transferred to US custody in Ankara, Turkey.
As part of the exchange, retired Marine (there is no “former” Marine, by the way) Paul Whelan, who was Canadian-born, with U.S., British, Irish, and Canadian citizenship, was arrested in Russia on December 28, 2018, and accused of spying. While Whelen wasn’t a saint, he also wasn’t a spy of international intrigue.
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The Bottom Line
So here’s the thing, and it’s tough.
Should the United States play the prisoner-swap game with the likes of Vladimir Putin? Should the U.S. — based on a passion for Americans held hostage for bargaining purposes only — do that? As a caring person, the answer is hard for me.
Meanwhile, now official, Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris idiotically said:
This is just an extraordinary testament to the importance of having a president who understands the power of diplomacy and understands the strength that rests in understanding the significance of diplomacy.
The transcript from ABC News shows her lying:
This is just an extraordinary testament to the importance of having a president who understands the power of diplomacy and understands the strength that rests in understanding the significance of diplomacy and strengthening alliances.
Please.
Welcome home, Evan Gershkovich.
