[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 102 (Monday, June 12, 2023)]
[House]
[Pages H2797-H2800]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  CALLING ON THE GOVERNMENT OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION TO IMMEDIATELY 
               RELEASE UNITED STATES CITIZEN PAUL WHELAN

  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to the 
resolution (H. Res. 272) calling on the Government of the Russian 
Federation to immediately release United States citizen Paul Whelan.
  The Clerk read the title of the resolution.
  The text of the resolution is as follows:

                              H. Res. 272

       Whereas United States citizen Paul Whelan is a resident of 
     Novi, Michigan, and a veteran of the Marine Corps;
       Whereas, on December 22, 2018, Paul Whelan traveled to 
     Moscow, Russia, for the wedding of a personal friend;
       Whereas, on December 28, 2018, the Federal Security Service 
     of the Russian Federation arrested Paul Whelan at the 
     Metropol Hotel in Moscow and charged him with espionage;
       Whereas the Federal Security Service has never provided any 
     evidence of supposed wrongdoing with respect to Paul Whelan;
       Whereas Paul Whelan was imprisoned in Lefortovo Prison and 
     was held in pretrial detention at the prison for more than 19 
     months after his arrest;
       Whereas a Moscow court extended Paul Whelan's pretrial 
     detention multiple times without publicly presenting 
     justification or evidence of wrongdoing;
       Whereas even Vladimir Zherebenkov, the lawyer appointed by 
     the Federal Security Service to represent Paul Whelan, said 
     on May 24, 2019, ``[The Federal Security Service] always 
     roll[s] out what they have, but in this case, we've seen 
     nothing concrete against Whelan in five months. That means 
     there is nothing.'';
       Whereas then-United States Ambassador to the Russian 
     Federation, Jon Huntsman, responded on April 12, 2019, to a 
     question about the detention of Paul Whelan, ``If the 
     Russians have evidence, they should bring it forward. We have 
     seen nothing. If there was a case, I think the evidence would 
     have been brought forward by now.'';
       Whereas then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with 
     Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on May 14, 2019, and 
     urged him to ensure United States citizens are not unjustly 
     held abroad;
       Whereas the Kremlin has refused to provide Paul Whelan with 
     full access to his lawyer, and the so-called evidence against 
     Paul Whelan and any evidence he has seen is in Russian, a 
     language Whelan does not read or speak;
       Whereas the Lefortovo pretrial detention facility and the 
     Ministry of Foreign Affairs refused to provide medical 
     treatment for Paul Whelan's medical condition, despite being 
     aware of its worsening state, resulting in emergency surgery 
     on May 29, 2020;
       Whereas Paul Whelan was wrongfully convicted on June 15, 
     2020, and sentenced to 16 years in a Russian labor camp by a 
     three-judge panel, in a trial witnessed by United States 
     Ambassador John Sullivan, who referred to the trial as ``a 
     mockery of justice'' due to the denial of a fair trial and 
     the exclusion of defense witnesses;
       Whereas, in August 2020, on an unknown day, Paul Whelan was 
     secretly transferred to camp IK-17, a penal labor camp in 
     Mordovia, Russia, where he is forced to work 6 days a week in 
     a garment factory;
       Whereas Ambassador John Sullivan, while visiting Paul 
     Whelan at the labor camp in Mordovia, stated that ``Russian 
     authorities . . . have never shown the world evidence of his 
     guilt'', and reiterated his call for the Russian authorities 
     to correct this injustice and release Paul Whelan;
       Whereas Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke with 
     Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on February 4, 2021, 
     and urged him to release United States citizens detained in 
     the Russian Federation, including Paul Whelan and Trevor 
     Reed, so that they are able to return home to their families 
     in the United States;
       Whereas, in August 2021, Whelan was released from a month-
     long stay in a solitary confinement at the IK-17 penal colony 
     in the region of Mordovia;
       Whereas, on April 27, 2022, the House of Representatives 
     unanimously passed a bipartisan resolution calling for the 
     release of Whelan;
       Whereas Secretary Blinken ``pressed'' the Kremlin to accept 
     an offer by the United States that would bring Paul Whelan 
     and Brittney Griner home in July 2022;
       Whereas, in November 2022, Paul Whelan was unable to 
     contact his family for more than a week, during which time 
     Russian authorities claimed Whelan had been sent to the 
     hospital;
       Whereas Russian authorities refused to release Paul Whelan 
     as part of the prisoner exchange in December 2022;
       Whereas Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated, ``His 
     detention remains unacceptable, and we continue to press for 
     his immediate release at every opportunity''; and
       Whereas President Biden stated that his administration had 
     ``not forgotten about Paul Whelan,'' and promised to ``keep 
     negotiating in good faith for his release'': Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
       (1) implores the Government of the Russian Federation to 
     immediately release Paul Whelan from imprisonment;
       (2) implores the Government of the Russian Federation to 
     comply with international treaty obligations and provide 
     unrestricted consular access to Paul Whelan while he remains 
     imprisoned in the Russian Federation;
       (3) calls on the Government of the Russian Federation to 
     provide Paul Whelan and all other political prisoners their 
     constitutionally afforded due process rights and universally 
     recognized human rights;
       (4) expresses the sincere thanks of the United States to 
     the Governments of Canada, Ireland, and the United Kingdom 
     for their support in attempting to release Paul Whelan; and

[[Page H2798]]

       (5) expresses sympathy to the family of Paul Whelan for 
     this travesty to justice and personal hardship and expresses 
     hope that their ordeal can soon be brought to a just end.

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from 
Texas (Mr. McCaul) and the gentleman from New York (Mr. Meeks) each 
will control 20 minutes.
  The Chair recognizes the gentleman from Texas.

                              {time}  1615


                             General Leave

  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may 
have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and 
to include extraneous material on this measure.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Texas?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, on December 28, 2018, U.S. citizen and Marine Corps 
veteran Paul Whelan was wrongfully arrested in Moscow and charged with 
espionage.
  This is just one of the many examples where an American is used as a 
political pawn by the Kremlin--where they disguise hostility and human 
rights abuses as justice. Paul was held in pretrial detention for 19 
months, and on June 15, 2020, he was sentenced to 16 years in a Russian 
labor camp.
  Paul was never provided with any real evidence of guilt. Defense 
witnesses were excluded. He was denied a fair trial, including the 
opportunity to defend himself properly or even communicate with his 
family.
  Last month, on May 16, Paul reached day 1,600 of illegally being held 
hostage in the Russian Federation for a crime he did not commit.
  Mr. Speaker, Paul is innocent, yet he remains behind bars to this 
day. Since his illegal incarceration, Paul has not received adequate 
medical care and has been denied regular access to his attorney. He has 
been designated as ``wrongfully detained'' by the U.S. Department of 
State. U.S. Ambassador John Sullivan accurately described Paul's 
wrongful conviction as ``a mockery of justice.''
  Make no mistake, there is no such thing as justice in a country that 
is controlled by a despot. This resolution shows that we have not 
forgotten, and we will never forget Paul, and that we will keep 
advocating for his immediate release.
  The U.S. Congress will not sit by as Americans are held hostage by 
the war criminal in the Kremlin. We will not rest until Paul and every 
wrongfully detained American is home safely with their families.
  During consideration of the prior measure, we discussed Russia's 
wrongful detention of the Wall Street reporter, Evan Gershkovich.
  Another politically motivated imprisonment I must mention is Vladimir 
Kara-Murza, a legal U.S. permanent resident twice poisoned by the 
Kremlin. He is a relentless advocate for democracy and human rights and 
was recently sentenced to 25 years in prison for his criticism of 
Russia's war in Ukraine.
  Sadly, this is what happens when you contradict the state-run media 
in a totalitarian state. His reward for pursuing the truth and standing 
up, exposing Putin's brutality and corruption, was imprisonment.
  The vengeance of the Kremlin knows no bounds.
  Putin must stop using Cold War tactics to target innocent Americans 
as diplomatic pawns. I call for the immediate release of all Americans 
wrongfully detained abroad.
  I strongly urge my colleagues to support this resolution so Paul and 
his family know that the United States Congress stands with them with 
one voice, Republican and Democrat, chairman and ranking member, and 
will do everything in our power to make sure that Paul is returned 
safely to his home and to his family.
  Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of this resolution, 
and I yield myself such time as I may consume.
  Mr. Speaker, I rise in strong support of H. Res. 272, calling on the 
Government of the Russian Federation to immediately release United 
States citizen Paul Whelan. I thank Representative Haley Stevens for 
her continued work and tireless advocacy for her constituent, Paul 
Whelan, and other Americans wrongfully detained overseas.
  As I rise today, Mr. Speaker, to speak on this measure, I regret just 
how familiar it feels. For the third time, we are considering this 
resolution on the floor of the House of Representatives calling for 
Paul's release and expressing solidarity with him and other Americans 
wrongfully detained abroad.
  Russian authorities wrongfully detained Paul Whelan, an American 
marine veteran, more than 1,600 days ago on baseless charges for which 
no evidence was ever provided and subjected him to a sham, secretive 
trial.
  For more than 4 years, Mr. Speaker, Paul has endured persecution, 
denials of his lawful rights, and the withholding of critical medical 
treatment while the Kremlin seeks to use him as a pawn for political 
gain.
  For more than 4 years, Mr. Speaker, Paul's family has had to suffer 
this injustice, demanding his release, and pleading with us, the United 
States Government, to do everything in our power to bring him home.
  Like Evan Gershkovich whose resolution we are also considering on the 
floor today, Paul's only crime is being an American. Tragically, only 
the Kremlin can release him from this detention and the suffering it 
has caused Paul and his family, but we in the United States Congress 
and the United States House of Representatives are not powerless to 
make a difference and support the administration's effort to bring Paul 
and others like him home.
  This resolution today is one step that we can take to demand that the 
Russian Government forego the horrific practice of using the lives and 
freedoms of American citizens as political bargaining chips, demanding 
Paul's release, and raising his and other cases at every available 
opportunity.
  Mr. Speaker, we must pass this resolution calling for the release of 
Paul Whelan for the third straight Congress and continue to advocate 
forcefully and unequivocally for his release. We must continue to call 
out Russia for its illegal and reprehensible hostage taking and warn 
Americans about the dangers of traveling to Putin's lawless fiefdom.
  In last year's NDAA, we boasted notification and transparency at the 
State Department pertaining to wrongfully detained and added crucial 
new whistleblower rewards provisions that would deter further hostage 
taking and help bring imprisoned Americans home to their families where 
they belong.

  Mr. Speaker, we must continue to do everything we can and bring Paul 
to his family here at home in the United States of America.
  I strongly support this measure, Mr. Speaker, and I urge my 
colleagues to do the same.
  Again, I thank Representative Stevens for introducing this 
resolution, and I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield such time as he may consume to the 
gentleman from Arkansas (Mr. Hill), the vice chair of the Financial 
Services Committee, a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and the 
Intelligence Committee, and a cosponsor of the resolution.
  Mr. HILL. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman and the ranking member 
for their work in bringing these important resolutions to the floor, 
and I stand in strong support of them in calling for the release of 
Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan. I thank my great colleague, Haley 
Stevens, for our work together as co-chairs of the Task Force on 
American Hostages and Americans Wrongfully Detained Abroad here in this 
House, and I am grateful for her relentless advocacy for Paul and his 
family.
  While we continue our work to get Americans out of these countries 
that are holding them only because they have a blue passport, I believe 
more has to be done, Mr. Speaker, to stop this trend that you can 
simply take and wrongfully hold an American with impunity.
  Mr. Speaker, listen to these statistics from the Foley Foundation's 
2022 report: 175 percent increase in the incidents of U.S. nationals 
being wrongfully detained compared to the previous decade; a 60 percent 
increase in

[[Page H2799]]

the average duration of a U.S. national's captivity over the past 11 
years.
  Mr. Speaker, 75 percent of U.S. nationals currently wrongfully 
detained are held by who? Iran, China, Venezuela, Syria, Russia.
  From 2012 to 2022, an average of 34 Americans were wrongfully held by 
foreign governments each year.
  Now, when you put that in contrast to the decade of 2001 to 2011, 
there were only five. This is the chairman's point: There was a 580 
percent increase in the past 10 years of Americans being taken and held 
hostage--mostly by governments. It is shocking.
  The number of releases of Americans is not keeping up with new 
detentions. While the Levinson Act and our current hostage response 
efforts are important pieces to ensuring better transparency for our 
detainee families who are at home suffering--I think that process has 
significantly improved in the recent years, and I thank the State 
Department for that--it is still clear that adversarial countries 
believe they can take and hold an American with impunity.
  We must do more. While we work on doing more, I will continue to come 
to this House floor and support resolutions like the ones we are voting 
on today. They are critically important to show the families and the 
wrongful detainees that the U.S. House stands with them and demands 
their release.
  Mr. Speaker, I call on all of my colleagues on both sides of the 
aisle to support Paul and Evan and their families with their votes 
today.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding me the time.
  Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 5 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Michigan (Ms. Stevens), who has been fighting for Paul Whelan's 
release.
  Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, I am so grateful to the exceptional 
leadership of the House Foreign Affairs Committee for shepherding this 
resolution to the floor and calling on the Russian Federation to 
immediately release Paul Whelan.
  Mr. Speaker, I thank Chairman McCaul, Ranking Member Meeks, our 
subcommittee leadership, Chairman Kean, and Ranking Member Keating for 
their steady bipartisan urgency in the consideration of H. Res. 272.
  Paul Whelan has been wrongfully detained by the Kremlin since I was 
first elected to Congress in the winter of 2018.
  The first time I introduced this legislation demanding that Russia 
release my constituent, I was eager to assure Paul and his family that 
his government was behind him.
  The second time, I was heartbroken that he was still waiting for 
justice.
  Now, during the third Congress of Paul's detention, I am furious.
  Throughout Paul's detention, the Russian Government has repeatedly 
violated his rights, denied him proper medical care, and refused to 
provide any evidence to substantiate the charges against him.
  Paul was held in pretrial detention for over 18 months in the 
notorious Lefortovo Prison. Then his trial was held behind closed 
doors, and his defense was prohibited from calling witnesses--a sham 
trial.
  Paul now serves a 16-year sentence of hard labor in a prison camp 
where he has been since August of 2020, facing unbelievably harsh 
conditions, injury, and illness. Here in the United States, we can't 
even fathom the conditions that he faces on a daily basis.
  Today, we have the opportunity as a Congress to denounce Paul's 
wrongful imprisonment and to stand up to Vladimir Putin and his Kremlin 
cronies.
  We will continue to come together as a Congress to make it clear that 
American citizens will not be used as political pawns by Mr. Putin, 
period. End of story.
  I have said before that Paul's detention was the canary in the coal 
mine for the lawlessness that we now see on a global scale from Mr. 
Putin.
  Since Paul's detention, Mr. Putin has seized marine veteran Trevor 
Reed, basketball star Brittney Griner, and most recently, The Wall 
Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, the first reporter to be 
unlawfully detained by Russia since the Cold War.

                              {time}  1630

  Today, I am also proud to recognize the citizens who have taken up 
the fight to return their loved ones hand in hand with the United 
States Government. As co-chair of the Hostage Task Force alongside Mr. 
French Hill, we are standing up to these attacks on Americans for 
simply being Americans. I thank Mr. Hill for helping to fight for Paul.
  I have spoken several times on this House floor about my deep 
admiration for Paul's sister, Elizabeth Whelan, who has become a true 
partner to my office and the people of Michigan's 11th District.
  In late April of just this year, Elizabeth joined America's U.N. 
Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield in a session of the U.N. Security 
Council that was being chaired by Russia's Foreign Minister.
  In stunning testimony, she called on him directly to release her 
brother. Looking him straight in the eye, Elizabeth stressed that she 
didn't even know what her brother looked like anymore. Coverage of this 
event made it all the way to Paul's prison in Russia, strengthening his 
resolve and reflecting the bravery of his sister.
  That is the incredible family that Paul comes from. The fortitude of 
the Whelan family should be an inspiration to all Americans. Every 
single day I see them stand up for freedom, democracy, and justice. 
They are fearless, and they are the reason Paul will come home.
  This is deeply personal to me, and it should be to all Americans. Not 
a single day goes by that I do not think about Paul and his family. 
Their pain is unimaginable, and no family should endure what the 
Whelans have.
  It has been my mission to see Paul returned to Michigan and be 
reunited with his family and his beloved dog, Flora, a golden retriever 
who has outlived her breed by many years and is now 15. She is waiting 
for her owner to come home.
  I thank my fellow Members of Congress for their continued advocacy on 
behalf of Paul, as well as all the families of hostages and wrongful 
detainees who are facing the unthinkable every single day.
  If Paul is watching, he knows we are praying for him, we are rooting 
for him, and we will not stop fighting for him.
  If Vladimir Putin is watching, he knows that the world's strongest 
democracy and the seat of the world's power is united against him 
today.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentlewoman has expired.
  Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield an additional 1 minute to the 
gentlewoman from Michigan.
  Ms. STEVENS. Mr. Speaker, if Vladimir Putin is watching, he should 
know that the United States will not stand by and watch as his lawless 
regime continues its reign of terror.
  Release Paul Whelan now. Release Evan Gershkovich. Mr. Putin should 
end his years of human rights abuses and his illegal war against 
Ukraine. Enough is enough.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
  Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from 
Michigan (Mrs. Dingell).
  Mrs. DINGELL. Mr. Speaker, I thank my dear friend and the chairman 
and the entire House Foreign Affairs Committee for knowing the 
importance of this.
  I rise today in strong support of H. Res. 272. With this resolution, 
we are reaffirming, as a House, as an institution of the U.S. 
Government, our unwavering commitment to bring Paul Whelan home.
  Paul has been wrongfully imprisoned in Russia for more than 4 years. 
He is a native Michigander. Representative Stevens and I now share him. 
He is my constituent, but he has got two women you don't want to tick 
off and are not going to stop until we bring him home.
  His parents are my constituents and our entire Michigan delegation--
we don't put a party in front of it--stands united in this effort. His 
imprisonment continues to be an affront to due process, international 
law, and human rights.
  We have witnessed increasingly bold and reckless action by Russia in 
wrongfully detaining American citizens. This is unjust, it is 
unconscionable, and it is unacceptable. Our people are not political 
pawns.
  We must pursue every avenue to secure his immediate release, and I 
will work with everyone here and throughout our government to make that 
happen.

[[Page H2800]]

  Paul needs hope. I hope he sees all of us today. His family 
desperately needs hope. This House of Representatives needs to send a 
strong message to the Russians that Paul is not a pawn in international 
relations, and we all want him home. The House needs to tell Paul and 
his family today, we need to send a message that we aren't forgetting 
you, we are fighting hard, and we will never give up.
  Mr. Speaker, I strongly urge all of my colleagues to support this 
important resolution. This is an opportunity for this body to once 
again demand, with one unified voice, the immediate release of Paul 
Whelan. It is far beyond time we bring him home.
  Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for the 
purpose of closing.
  Mr. Speaker, for far too long, Paul Whelan has suffered at the hands 
of the regime in the Kremlin. For far too long, he has been forced to 
endure the horrific conditions in a Russian labor camp, wondering when 
he will finally be able to see his family again. For far too long, he 
has been left to wonder whether he has been forgotten by the government 
that the Kremlin is using him to extort.
  By passing this legislation and taking other important steps to 
support Paul, to support Evan, and other Americans wrongfully detained 
overseas, we can speak with one voice, a single voice, that the United 
States Government will not rest until he and others like him are 
finally brought home to their families.
  One voice, that is what we will do today. I know that my colleagues 
will join me in support of this very important resolution.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I yield myself the balance of my time for 
closing.
  Mr. Speaker, I first thank Ranking Member Meeks for his support. We 
do speak with one voice, as one Nation, against this hostage taking by 
foreign nation adversaries.
  I thank Representative Stevens for her passion on this issue and for 
introducing this resolution and being a co-chair of that important 
caucus. I also thank my dear friend, Mrs. Dingell, who represents the 
family and, obviously, the passion of the family. I can only imagine 
what it must feel like to have your son, family member, detained in one 
of the worst prisons in the world.
  This happens too often. We are seeing this trend way too often now. 
It is not just Russia; it is China and Iran and Venezuela. It is a 
disturbing trend, Mr. Speaker, to take Americans hostage and hold them 
as political pawns for either a change of policy or an exchange of a 
prisoner that has no relation to the offense of the American. You can't 
tell me that what happened to Brittney Griner, whose offense was so 
meager, the idea she had some sort of small amount of--whatever it was, 
a vape pipe, and then in exchange, a major Russian arms dealer. But 
that is what they do and that is what they want.
  We need to stop this, and we need to provide the deterrence to stop 
this. The world continues to watch in horror as Vladimir Putin's crimes 
and atrocities in Ukraine continue. That is a lot of what this is all 
about. Paul Whelan is a marine. Evan is a Wall Street Journal reporter.
  Just reporting the truth gets you thrown in prison in Russia. What 
were they reporting about? The indiscriminate bombing and killing of 
civilians, to the mass graves I saw in Bucha, to torture chambers, to 
mobile crematoriums. Think about that, Mr. Speaker. We haven't heard 
about something like that in quite some time, probably since my 
father's generation and my father's war.
  What we are witnessing today is a genocide. If you rise up in protest 
or report the truth, you will be put in prison. I condemn this 
aggression in the strongest possible terms. I, along with the other 
Members on both sides of the aisle, will continue to fight to hold 
these perpetrators accountable.
  We must also condemn the Russian dictator's practice of exploiting 
them as political pawns. As I have said, it has happened way too often. 
It is time to get Paul out of this Russian gulag, which is what it is, 
and back to his family in Michigan.
  Today, all of us stand in this body with one voice, united as 
Americans, in condemning Russia's illegal detention of Paul Whelan. 
Congress will not rest.
  As Congresswoman Stevens said to Mr. Putin, if he is watching this, 
and to Paul Whelan, if he has the opportunity to watch this, we want 
them to know that we here in Congress will not rest until all Americans 
wrongfully detained in Russia are returned to their families.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. McCaul) that the House suspend the rules and 
agree to the resolution, H. Res. 272.
  The question was taken.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds 
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
  Mr. McCAUL. Mr. Speaker, I object to the vote on the ground that a 
quorum is not present and make the point of order that a quorum is not 
present.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX, further 
proceedings on this question will be postponed.
  The point of no quorum is considered withdrawn.

                          ____________________