Paul Whelan, ex-US marine, jailed in Russia on spying charges

[Eugene]

Source: BBC

44 minutes ago

Ex-US marine Paul Whelan has been sentenced to 16 years of hard labour on spying charges in Russia.

He was arrested in a hotel room in Moscow 18 months ago with a USB flash drive which security officers say contained state secrets.

The Moscow City Court found him guilty of receiving classified information.

Whelan - who is also a citizen of the UK, Canada and Ireland - denounced the closed trial as a "sham" ahead of the verdict.

-snip-


Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-53049373

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Paul Whelan denounced the closed trial as a "sham" ahead of the verdict (AFP)

[GreenEyedLefty]

1. Sounds like a fumbling, bumbling wanna be spy to me.

This guy is a Trumper and it looks to me like he was looking for a position in the administration. Well he sure fits the mold:

He's touted as an "ex Marine," as if his service was meritorious. He was given a bad conduct discharge for larceny in Iraq.

He lied under oath about his education, claiming to have earned a bachelor's degree and MBA from the University of Michigan.

Also he claim he was a police officer but at least one department he claimed to work for has no record of his employment.

[usaf-vet]

2. Is he one of the names that Trump handed over to the Russians in the Oval office meeting.

I would not put it past the traitor Trump.

[gab13by13]

3. He isn't an ex-Marine, he is a former Marine.

[hlthe2b]

4. If he was dishonorably discharged for "larceny," he's a DISGRACED Marine

the rest is mere symantics.

[rickford66]

5. Maybe the Great Deal Maker could exchange Alaska for this guy.

[C Moon]

8. :D

That's funny. But it just hit me, that you may be on to something: Trump will give something away to get this guy back. Another Trump/Putin setup.

[poli-junkie]

11. Yep. This is Kabuki theatre

Place a marker on this as Trump intervenes to do a prisoner swap.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

13. Bingo

[Nevilledog]

17. Well, Eddie Gallagher gets lonely standing at trump's side. Whelan can keep him company.

trump makes a horrendous deal to get a Whelan back and then parades him out like a hero at his rallies.

[AllaN01Bear]

6. so, when are we going to go after the bigest russian asset at the wh?

[cyndensco]

7. He lost me with "PAUL'S LIFE MATTERS".

I put that in the same category as "All" and "Blue" Lives Matter. It is making a mockery of a movement.

[Rainbow Droid]

9. Go read the wikipedia entry on this fella.

And I swear I have heard his name somewhere else before.

[Jersey Devlin]

10. Not to Worry, Our Glorious President will Intervene on His Behal---

Never mind.

[SayItLoud]

12. October Surprise

tRUMP will brag and "free the Marine". (ignoring who this guy is, was, did).

[Mazeltov Cocktail]

14. Exactly how many citizenships can one person have?

Does he pay taxes in all those countries?

Which country was he spying for?

Will any of those countries bargain for his release?

So many questions, such a little man...

[Progressive Jones]

15. As many citizenships as one can obtain, I suppose.

I'm an American. Born in Chicago. I recently found out I can
have Irish citizenship, as well, through family connections.
One parent and one grandparent came from Ireland.
Both became US citizens. I never really had any interest in Irish citizenship.
I never really thought about it. A friend who had taken a trip there told me about it last November.

As for taxes, that's probably based on any income earned and/or property owned in a particular country.

[Mazeltov Cocktail]

18. I just learned that about the Irish citizenships...

My husband's grandparents, maternal and paternal are from Ireland. We're seriously considering this as an option should Trump be reelected.

[Progressive Jones]

20. Prudent thinking. Since finding out about

my ability to get Irish citizenship, that has crossed my mind.
Trump, or any other craziness could cause me to want to leave here.

[Xolodno]

16. Having citizenship in two countries is not unheard of and quite common.

...Three, that raises some eyebrows, but not unheard of and in fact, often the case for some high ranking business or government officials...but that also puts you on a list to be watched like hawk. The CIA has botched some jobs, most notably Robert Levinson in Iran. Some over eager CIA analysts gave a green light to a mission without informing their superiors. Basically sending him to his death just so they could play office politics if they were successful.

[Mazeltov Cocktail]

19. This guy has 4, or am I missing something.