Did Trump Fail to Free Russian Prisoners

Answer: No

By Sam Stone

Joe Biden arranged a swap of prisoners with Russia, freeing – among others – Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich. In response, Donald Trump stated he would have gotten them released without giving up anything, causing Biden to ask why Trump didn’t do so while in office.

Multiple outlets are covering Biden’s response without providing key context. Here are the three Americans and one U.S Green Card holder exchanged in the swap, and when they were first detained:

Evan Gershkovich: Wall Street Journal reporter, detained in 2023

Paul Whelan: Former military officer & auto-parts company security exec, detained in 2018

Vladimir Kara Murza: Freelance journalist & anti-Putin activist, detained 2023

Alsu Kurmasheva: Reporter, Radio Free Europe, detained 2023

As you can see, only Whelan was detained prior to Trump leaving office, and Whelan’s conviction in a Russian court did not occur until June 2020 – in the middle of Covid and Trump’s 2020 campaign. You can make an argument that Trump should have been more active in seeking Whelan’s release, but as for the rest of Biden’s charge that Trump failed to secure the release of these prisoners while in office, it’s clear this was either a deliberate lie, or more evidence of Joe Biden’s declining mental state.

Note: the opinions expressed herein are those of Sam Stone only and not his co-host Chuck Warren or Breaking Battlegrounds’ staff.