The White House said on December 21 it is "very concerned" about reports that Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine convicted of espionage in Russia, feels physically threatened. "We're very concerned as we hear those accounts from Paul," John Kirby, a spokesman for the White House National Security Council, told reporters. "We will continue to work hard through our embassy in Moscow to make sure he gets consular access and that we can address these direct concerns with our Russian counterparts," Kirby said. Whelan, who denies spying, was arrested by the Federal Security Service (FSB) in 2018.
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