Donald Trump apparently forgot to check with Russia before making his latest campaign boast.
The former president caused outrage on Thursday when he claimed that if he is elected, Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, currently being held in Russian jail on dubious spying charges, would be "released immediately," before he is even sworn in for his term. "He will be HOME, SAFE, AND WITH HIS FAMILY. Vladimir Putin, President of Russia, will do that for me, but not for anyone else, and WE WILL BE PAYING NOTHING!" said Trump.
According to The Guardian, however, "when asked about the remarks, the Kremlin spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said, 'There aren’t any contacts with Donald Trump. Regarding [US-Russian] contacts on the matter of incarcerated and convicted individuals, we can say that these contacts must be carried out in total secrecy. This is the only way they can be effective.'"
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The Biden administration has been trying to get Gershkovich freed ever since his arrest in March of last year, where he has been held without a trial date. They have reportedly considered prisoner swaps to Russia, but the Kremlin has rejected every proposal.
Although the U.S. has successfully managed to broker the release of some Americans held in Russian prison, like basketball star Brittney Griner, it has historically been much more difficult to secure the release of people Russia has accused of espionage. Paul Whelan, a U.S. Marine who has been in Russian captivity on a disputed spying conviction for five years, has similarly faced obstinacy from Moscow over any attempt to secure a swap deal.
Trump has long been criticized for his closeness to Russia's Vladimir Putin, whose autocratic government worked to interfere in the 2016 election on his behalf, according to extensive investigation by U.S. officials. Trump, who was never actually charged with a crime over this affair, has adamantly refused to acknowledge this and maintains that the Russia investigation was a "hoax."
