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.
Although 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.
Read more: https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2019/06/20/spy-paul-whelan-trump-russia-espionage/1508742001/