The phone rang at 5:58 a.m. on Christmas Eve and the call went to voicemail. The WTOP reporter and the voice on the message had never spoken before. I would like to speak to you about that.
He called WTOP again, asking the president to bring him home. You have to do more to get my release.
The President's team has not done enough to get him out of Russian custody, he said. The National Security Council told WTOP that the White House would continue to make significant offers for his release.
The House and the Senate have been very supportive of me. The US, Canada, Ireland and Britain are all supportive. The former Marine said that Biden made the decision to leave him behind twice and that he is certain that the president will make a deal to bring him home. My message to him is simple, I have been told that everyone is doing all they can and that my release is a top priority.
The National Security Council told WTOP that bringing home the Americans still wrongly imprisoned and held hostage abroad is a priority for President Biden. I'm depressed because I'm away from my family for Christmas. He said that it was not a good environment to be in. It's not the life that I want to live and I don't like to interact with people.
A string of recent attacks could cause it to be cut short.
The deputy warden is the biggest problem that I have at the prison. He tried to have me injured in revenge for him getting in trouble.
After he asked him to move, the prisoner hit him in the face and broke his glasses. The prisoner tried to hit him again, but other prisoners prevented him from doing so. He has been quiet for most of the five years he has been in captivity, but his hope is fading as he reflects on what the U.S. has done. He said that the U.S. government abandoned him without any options for a future trade. He said that the U.S. used up its leverage when it swapped athletes for Russians. He said that it was depressing to know that the government had done that.
As he faces another Christmas imprisoned in Russia, he said, "I know that my parents are elderly, they're mid 80s."