Plucked from Moscow Dec. 28 by the Federal Security Service [FSB], formerly the KGB, arrested 48-year-old BorgWarner auto-parts security executive Paul Whelan, putting him in Moscow’s infamous Lefortovo prison. Charged with spying, Whelan’s family claims he was visiting friends in Moscow, attending a wedding. While that all sounds plausible, Russian officials report that Whelan was caught with a thumb-drive containing numerous Russian contacts, something prompting Russian authorities to accuse him of spying. Holding passports from the U.S., U.K., Canada and Ireland also didn’t provide Whelan with exculpatory evidence. “As for his international connections, our family spans continents, and Paul’s four passports reflect his birth [Canada], parents [Britain] and grandparents [Ireland] and choice [United States],” said David Whelan, Paul’s brother.
David asked President Donald Trump in an op-ed in the Washington Post to intervene on behalf of his brother, something that hasn’t happened yet. “Pressure Russia for [Paul Whelan’s] release,” asked David in the Post. Pleading guilty to conspiracy against the U.S. Dec. 13 in U.S. District Court in D.C., 30-year-old Maria Butina might play a part in Russia’s decision to detain Whelan. While pure speculation, Russian authorities denied that they were looking for a prisoner swap. Only yesterday, U.S. officials announced the arrest of 39-year-old Russian national Dmitry Makarenko Dec. 29 in the North Mariana Islands, shipping him to a U.S. detention facility in Florida. Whether there’s any correlation between Whelan’s detention and Makarenko is anyone’s guess. Though pure conjecture, with the U.S. holding Butina, it’s possible that the Kremlin sought leverage to get her out of U.S. custody.
Since former President Barack Obama evicted 35 Russian diplomats for meddling in the 2016 presidential election Dec. 15, 2016, U.S.-Russian relations hit Cold War lows. Trump campaigned to improve U.S.-Russian relations but was sabotaged by the Russian hysteria sweeping Capitol Hill. Since the U.S. intel community concluded Aug. 2, 2018 that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election, Trump’s had no chance of improving U.S.-Russian relations. It’s didn’t help matters May 17, 2017 that Deputy Atty. Gen. Rod Rosenstein appointed Special Counsel Robert Mueller to investigate Trump’s alleged ties to the Kremlin during the 2016 election. All the bad blood between Russia and Washington resulted in Whelan getting nabbed in Moscow. Whether he was spying is anyone’s guess, despite denials from his family, often kept in the dark about a family member’s covert activity.
Whelan’s family went overboard to defend him, pushing the narrative that he was an innocent victim simply visiting friends in Moscow. “Paul is a kind and considerate brother, son and uncle, and a generous and loyal friend. He travels as often as he can, both for work and pleasure. He is many things to many people, but he is not a spy,” David Whelan wrote in the Post. Russia’s FSB said Whelan was caught engaged in espionage, suggesting he’d been involved in such activities for years. Holding valid passports from Canada, U.K., Ireland and the U.S. raised suspicions to the FSB, not buying the family’s explanation. .FSB said Whelan was caught in his Moscow Hotel room with a thumb-drive containing a secret list of Russian government personnel. His family’s alibi simply doesn’t add up, that he simply traveled to Moscow to visit friends, to attend a wedding.
British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt expressed skepticism over Moscow’s explanation, having heard many excuses from the FSB after Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned March 4, 2018 with Novichok or A-234 nerve agent. Russian authorities, including Russian President Vladimir Putin, denied any involvement in the poisoning, leaving Hunt skeptical about Whelan. “Giving [Whelan] every support we can, but we don’t agree with individuals being used in diplomatic chess games,” Hunt said, referring to speculation about using Whelan for a prisoner swap with Butina. “Because it is desperately worrying, not just for the individuals but their families, and we are extremely worried about him and his family as we hear the news,” said an unnamed British embassy official in Moscow. British officials have little trust for the FSB or Kremlin authorities.
Whelan’s background in the Marines [1994-2008] also raises eyebrows. Reports of his bad conduct discharge from the Marines while serving in Iraq, accused and convicted of stealing more than $10,000 while stationed at al-Assad Base. Whelan’s discharge report accused him of bouncing over $6,000 in checks while serving in Iraq. When you add everything up, Whelan’s behavior looks suspicious, if, for no other reason, most U.S. citizens don’t spend leisure time in Moscow, especially under current circumstances. Whelan’s brother David tried get out in front of his arrest, raising doubts in the Washington Post about the Kremlin’s motives. It’s doubtful that anyone would pay the steep visa fees to visit friends in Moscow. White House and CIA officials declined comment about Whelan’s situation, suggesting, if nothing else, there’s more to his Moscow visit than meets the eye.
