White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby refused to discuss former President Donald Trump when asked about David Whelan's comments that Trump "wasn’t interested" in the Paul Whelan case.
David Whelan recently told MSNBC's Zinhle Essamuah that President Joe Biden's administration is "much more engaged" than Trump's in seeking the release of wrongfully imprisoned Americans like his brother. He also said that "the Trump administration was not prepared to or not interested in" working with such cases.
This past weekend, former Trump National Security Council official Fiona Hill told CBS News anchor Margaret Brennan that Trump "was not particularly interested" in Whelan's case.
On Wednesday morning, Kirby held an on-the-record presser with reporters via Zoom, during which he was asked about the recent comments made by Whelan and Hill. Mediaite reported that Kirby refused to criticize the Trump administration and instead took to praising the Whelan family.
"I'm not going to speak for the previous administration or what they did or didn’t do in the conversations they did or didn't have," said Kirby.
He said the Biden administration's primary focus was to "secure the release and to bring back home Americans who are unjustly detained, wrongfully detained overseas."
"We worked really hard over the last weeks and months to try to get Mr. Whelan released and wanted him released with Ms. Griner," said Kirby. "Unfortunately, that just was not possible because of the way the Russians are treating them."
He said they are still trying to work with Russia to get Whelan home, adding, "I won't speak to the previous administration."
Then he remarked on "the grace and the dignity and poise" of the Whelan family handling this situation. Whelan has been locked up for four years on espionage charges.
"The fact that they haven't given up hope on us, and they certainly haven't given up hope on Paul," said Kirby. "Paul hasn't given up hope on himself."
"And just the poise and grace with which they are continuing to ... face the situation they're in. It truly is something, something apart," he said.
"I think every American, regardless of who you vote for, can look at the Whelan family and be justifiably proud that they are, in fact, Americans," said Kirby.
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