Trump Claims Putin Will Only Release Wall Street Journal Reporter If He Is Elected President

Donald Trump claimed his uniquely special relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin would allow him to secure the release of Evan Gershkovich, the American Wall Street Journal reporter who has been detained in Russia for over a year on espionage charges which his newspaper and the Biden administration vehemently deny.

The GOP presumptive presidential nominee overnight wrote on his Truth Social platform that Gershkovich “will be released almost immediately after the Election, but definitely before I assume Office,” saying that his hypothetical election victory in November would ensure the journalist 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!” he added.

Much like his promise to end Russia’s war in Ukraine within a day of his return to the White House, his supposed plan to free Gershkovich was not accompanied by any specifics about how it would actually happen.

Read more at The Daily Beast.