A leading Republican warned Thursday that the Biden administration’s choice to swap Russian criminals for detained Americans — Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Marine Corps veteran Paul Whelan — could send a “dangerous message” to Russian President Vladimir Putin.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-Texas) joined other lawmakers in celebrating the release, saying he was “thrilled” to hear the detained Americans were going home.
“But I am concerned that continuing to exchange innocent Americans for actual Russian criminals in US and other countries sends a dangerous message to President Putin and will only encourage his regime to engage in further hostage-taking activities,” he added.
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McCaul warned about the message the deal sends to Putin. (Getty Images)
He added, “We must not forget those Americans who may still be held in Russia, like Mark Fogel or Ksenia Karelina, or those held in other countries, like Mark Swidan, Kai Li and David Lin in China, or Ryan Corbett in Afghanistan. We must bring them all home to their families.”
A senior administration official told Fox News on Thursday that the United States and Russia have agreed to the transfer of the prisoners, who are expected to be in U.S. custody soon.
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Whelan is the subject of a prisoner exchange. (Kirill Kudryavtsev/AFP via Getty Images)
Republican Senator John Cornyn of Texas expressed relief that Gershkovich and Whelan were due for release after “years of being wrongfully held in Russian custody.”
“The baseless charges, show trial and unjust imprisonment of these men are a stark reminder of Russia’s blatant disregard for human rights and its continued oppression of innocent Americans,” he said.
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Gershkovich will also be taking part in the exchange. (Natalia Kolesnikova/AFP via Getty Images)
In a joint statement, Pennsylvania’s congressional delegation, which includes Democratic Sens. Bob Casey and John Fetterman, Republican Reps. Mike Kelly and Guy Reschenthaler and Democratic Rep. Chris DelZio, urged the administration to add Vogel to the Cabinet.
“There have been reports of a possible prisoner exchange and we urge that any exchange include Pennsylvania’s Mark Fogel, Paul Whelan and Evan Gershkovich,” they said.
“Mark is a Pennsylvania teacher with serious health issues who has been wrongfully incarcerated in a Russian prison for three years. As the legislators representing Mark and his family, we have been lobbying to bring Mark home as soon as possible. As negotiations are ongoing with the Russian Federation, we respectfully request that Mark Vogel be included as part of a potential prisoner exchange.”
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President Putin and the Biden administration agreed to a prisoner exchange. (Mikhail Metzel/Pool/AFP via Getty Images)
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Former Rep. Mike Rogers, a Republican Senate candidate in Whelan’s home state of Michigan, responded to the X news by writing, “I am so happy to hear that Paul Whelan is finally coming home to Michigan. This wonderful news is long overdue and I hope it brings some peace to Whelan’s family, who have endured unimaginable suffering over the past few years as a result of Russia’s terrible actions.”
