Who is Paul Whelan? Micah Parsons slams Joe Biden for not getting retired Marine back from Russia in Brittney Griner trade

After being held in a Russian prison for drug charges, WNBA star Brittney Griner is on her way home on a plane. However, the original negotiations were for two people: Griner and retired Marine Paul Whelan. Ultimately, POTUS Joe Biden agreed to only having Griner come home.

The price? A one-for-one prisoner exchange. The United States have to give up arms dealer Viktor Bout so that Griner could come home.

However, the original negotiations were for two people: Griner and retired Marine Paul Whelan. Ultimately, POTUS Joe Biden agreed to only having Griner come home.

Dallas Cowboys star Micah Parsons was particularly unhappy with the situation. Many citizens spoke out on social media, and Parsons agreed with those who questioned Biden's decision.

"Wait nah!! We left a marine?!! Hell nah," Parsons wrote.

He replied to a tweet that spoke of the Griner swap, mentioning Whelan. While Griner has been imprisoned for months, Whelan has been in Russia for four years.

As Parsons' tweet gained traction, the 23-year-old clarified that his statement was for Paul Whelan to return home, and nothing against Griner:

"My last tweet was no shot at Brittney Griner. I’m super happy she’s back home as she should be," Micah Parson wrote.

He added,

"I just have family who have served and it’s crazy to me the President wouldn’t bring him home too. I’m the furthest thing from a Trump supporter but I’m not a fan of Biden either".

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Paul Whelan in the Marines

As per reports, the former marine is a citizen of the US, along with Canada, the UK, and the Irish Republic. He worked as a police officer in Michigan for six years before deciding to join the US Marine Reserves in 1994.

Paul Whelan began working as an IT project manager in the 2000s but was deployed for two tours in Iraq. First in 2004 and then in 2006. Furthermore, he visited Russia while serving as a marine.

Interestingly, he was discharged in 2008 for bad conduct.

He was charged with larceny and accused of using an unauthorized security number. He later returned to work for Kelly Services. He left the company in 2016 to work for BorgWarner, a supplier of automotive components.

He was the director of global security at the time.

Why is Paul Whelan jailed in Russia?

Whelan was visiting Moscow for a friend's wedding in December 2018 when he was detained. He was accused of espionage, which the United States and Whelan both denied. Whelan was eventually sentenced to 16 years in prison.

In fact, this would be Whelan's fourth anniversary in Russian custody.

As people continued to call out Biden for his decision, the president assured that the US Government had not forgotten about the former marine.

"We've not forgotten about Paul Whelan," Biden said. "We will never give up".

Viktor Bout, on the other hand, was arrested after a sting operation in 2008 and sentenced to a 25-year sentence.