Trump administration was ‘not prepared’ for or ‘not interested in’ wrongful detentions: Paul Whelan’s brother

David Whelan, brother of wrongfully detained former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, said on Saturday that former President Trump was not “prepared to” or “interested in” working toward his brother’s release.

“I think the first two years, partly I think the Trump administration was not prepared to or not interested in working on wrongful detention cases,” said Whelan, referring to his brother’s imprisonment beginning in 2018.

However, Whelan told “MSNBC Reports” that President Biden is making strides in negotiations for prisoner swaps, like the one that occurred between American WNBA star Brittney Griner and Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout on Thursday.

“The Biden administration is much more engaged in wrongful detentions,” he said, adding that the president has “given the government more tools to help wrongful detainee families, but also to try to start to punish the nations who are doing that.”

Whelan made equally critical remarks about Trump on Friday when he questioned the idea that Trump “cares” about his brother’s situation any more than he did during his presidency.

“Former President Trump appears to have mentioned my brother #PaulWhelan’s wrongful detention more in the last 24 hours than he did in the 2 years of his presidency in which Paul was held hostage by #Russia,” Whelan wrote.

MSNBC host Zinhle Essamuah asked Whelan about an interview in which his brother said he is “greatly disappointed” that more has not been done to secure his release, to which Whelan responded: “I think Paul had his hopes up. We all did.”

“Paul had been thinking already about where he would live when he came back,” he said, adding that Secretary of State Antony Blinken told Paul Whelan that the U.S. would offer a significant exchange to Russia for his release. “And so when I heard his voice, he was obviously tremendously disappointed. And it’s understandable.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to The Hill.