- Bill Richardson says he's "cautiously optimistic" that Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan will be home soon.
- The ex-New Mexico governor has traveled to Moscow to advocate for the wrongfully detained Americans.
Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan could be home by the end of the year, according to one of the most well-respected experts in the hostage and detainee negotiation arena.
Former New Mexico governor and UN ambassador Bill Richardson appeared on CNN's "State of the Union" on Sunday to discuss the latest on Griner's and Whelan's situations with Jake Tapper. Richardson, who works on behalf of the families of American hostages and detainees, has twice traveled to Moscow to help free the WNBA superstar and ex-US Marine — both of whom have been wrongfully detained by Russia for extended periods of time.
Based on conversations he said he's had with high-ranking Russian officials on his aforementioned visits, Richardson is "cautiously optimistic" the White House and Kremlin can reach a deal for Griner's and Whelan's release in the next several months.
"I do think so," Richardson confirmed to Tapper. "Now, I hate making predictions, but yes."
"All I can say is that the Biden administration is working hard on it," he added. "So am I. We coordinate, but not always agree on every tactical decision. But I'm not going to interfere in their process."
Griner was first arrested in February, when customs agents at a Moscow airport found cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage as she was traveling to play basketball overseas. Since then, she's been convicted of drug smuggling with criminal intent and sentenced to nine years in Russian prison.
Whelan, meanwhile, was detained under suspicions of espionage in 2018 and sentenced to 16 years in prison two years later.
Richardson said he suspects "it's gonna be a two-for-two" prisoner exchange that will secure Griner and Whelan their freedom. Insider previously reported that Viktor Bout, a notorious arms dealer dubbed "The Merchant of Death," is expected to be one of the Russian nationals involved in the trade. If there is another individual included in the swap, they have yet to be identified publicly.
As recently as last week, Griner's wife Cherelle expressed fear that she'll never "get to see my wife again" and said the eight-time WNBA All-Star is increasingly losing hope and mental fortitude.
"It was the most disturbing conversation," Cherelle said of a recent phone call with her wife. "You could hear it. You could hear that she was not OK. If you think about a person suffering, and when they have suffered to a max, you could hear that she was at the max that day.
"And there was nothing I could do," she added.
Griner and her legal team appealed the nine-year sentence she was handed in early August. Her next hearing is scheduled for October 25, and should the courts uphold their initial decision, Griner will likely spend time in one of Russia's infamous penal colonies.