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(WASHINGTON) — The largest prisoner exchange with Russia since the Cold War took months of detailed negotiations that directly involved the president, government officials told ABC News.

The deal, which freed Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, involved several nations and included key exchanges by President Joe Biden, according to the officials. The deal also freed Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian-American journalist, and Vladimir Kara-Muza, a legal permanent resident of the U.S.

“In the context of the war against Ukraine and the overall degradation of our relations with Russia, securing the release of Americans detained in Russia has been uniquely challenging,” White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said Thursday.

Biden said at a press conference on Thursday, “If anyone questions if allies matter, they do, they matter.”

Negotiations gained traction in last 2 weeks: Sources

Even on the day he announced he was no longer seeking re-election, Biden, who was recovering from COVID-19, was on the phone working to secure this deal, a senior administration official told ABC News.

“The hour before he released that statement – literally an hour before he released that statement – he was on the phone with his Slovenian counterpart urging them to make the final arrangements and get this deal over the finish line,” the official said.

“This exchange is not by accident. It really is the result of a heck of a lot of leadership by President Biden and by the strength of relationships,” a senior administration official said.

Alexei Navalny’s death affected negotiations

Sullivan revealed Thursday that the U.S. and its allies were working on a prisoner deal that would have included the release of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, who was arrested by Russian officials in 2021.

Russian authorities announced Feb. 16 that Navalny had died while in prison.

The U.S. negotiation team “felt like the wind had been taken out of our sails in terms of efforts to get Paul and Evan back home,” upon learning of Navalny’s death, a senior administration official told ABC News.

But Sullivan, who happened to have a meeting scheduled with Evan’s family that day, felt differently, according to the official.

“He still saw a path forward, he thought it was going to be a little bit more of a rocky path, and it might take us a little bit longer than we thought,” the official said.

“He gathered the team together and he told him to not let Navalny’s death totally torpedo our opportunities to get these folks out,” the official said. “And he instructed them to come up with some additional options to make it politically viable, particularly politically viable to the Germans.”

Germany played key role in release

One key sticking point, according to Sullivan, was that Russia “would not agree to the release of these individuals without an exchange that included Vadim Krasikov,” who was in German custody for allegedly gunning down a Kremlin opponent in Germany.

“That required extensive diplomatic engagement with our German counterparts, starting at the top with the President himself, who worked this issue directly with Chancellor [Olaf] Scholz. We are deeply grateful to Germany for their partnership,” Sullivan said.

To get the German’s on board, a senior administration official credited not only Sullivan’s work to get a proposal in place, but also Biden’s relationship with German Chancellor Scholz.

“All culminated, really, in a call by President Biden to Chancellor Scholz, and then a follow-on visit by Chancellor Scholz in February, where, basically, Chancellor Scholz responded to the president saying, ‘For you, I will do this.’ The president then turned to Jake and said, Get it done,'” the official said.

The administration official stressed that “nobody’s turning a blind eye” to the crimes of Krasikov, or his connection to Russian intelligence service, but said “tough decisions” needed to me made to get these four innocent people back home and to their families.

Swap won’t affect Russian-US relations

There should be no expectation of improved U.S.-Russia relations going forward, according to a senior administration official.

This official said the administration has shown it can hold Russia accountable for its aggression on the world stage while “compartmentalizing out” the work on securing the release of Americans that are wrongfully detained.

“I would be cautious and would counsel anyone to be cautious in surmising from this that it’s some sort of breakthrough in the relationship and it portends some détente with Russia or an easing of the tensions in our relationship.”

This official said Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, pressure on NATO allies and across Europe, and the “burgeoning defense relationship” Putin is forming with China, North Korea and Iran are “of significant concern.”

“We will not see a policy change by President Biden and the administration when it comes to standing up to Putin’s aggression.”

ABC News’ Ivan Pereira contributed to this report.

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(WASHINGTON) — Vice President Kamala Harris is moving full steam ahead in her bid for the White House, with her campaign saying Sunday it has raised more than $200 million in less than a week.

Former President Donald Trump and his running mate, Sen. JD Vance, have several campaign events set up this week as they aim their attacks on Harris.

Harris has secured commitments from enough delegates to become the presumptive nominee if they all honor their commitment when voting, according to ABC News reporting.

Here’s how the news is developing:

Harris’ vetting team met with VP hopefuls Shapiro, Kelly

Harris’ vetting team met with Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly — two vice presidential hopefuls, according to sources familiar. The vetting team has met with other candidates as well, the sources added.

As meetings continue, the pool of vice presidential candidates has narrowed from a dozen, sources said.

Harris only has days to make a decision on her running mate. This process that normally takes months has been truncated and her team is doing it in weeks.

Harris is set to begin a tour of battleground states with her running mate on Tuesday.

-ABC News’ Selina Wang, Will McDuffie and Katherine Faulders

At the border, Vance says Harris kept the ‘promise’ to open the southern border

Vice presidential candidate Sen. JD Vance visited the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona Thursday morning. During his visit, Vance addressed the press, blaming Vice President Kamala Harris for what he claimed was a failure of the southern border.

“They started their administration, Kamala Harris came into office making promises, and she kept those promises, to open the American southern border,” Vance said. “They stopped deportations on Day 1, they stopped construction of the border wall on Day 1, we see the border wall sitting here ready to be completed behind us, and that can’t happen because of Kamala Harris’ administration.”

Vance has said that in a Trump-Vance administration, he would want to be influential in border policy. The border and immigration are a major issue for voters this election.

Vance and Trump have sought to attack Harris over her handling of the border — something President Joe Biden assigned her to oversee as vice president.

Vance often connects the border to the issue of drug trafficking and the fentanyl crisis, and he did it during his remarks Thursday.

“And the unfortunate truth is, because of the poison that Kamala Harris has let come into this country, there are a lot of those prayers that won’t be answered,” Vance said. “There are a lot of parents that won’t wake up because when you take fentanyl, you don’t wake up, it takes your life.”

But that is not true. The majority of fentanyl smuggled into the U.S. is through ports of entry, not through migrants.

Vance said the U.S. must implement “common sense policies” at the border.

“You’ve got to reimplement remain in Mexico. You’ve got to stop catch and release. You’ve got to force the asylum seekers to stay in Mexico while their claims are being adjudicated. And you’ve got to finish this border wall and reimplement deportations,” he said.

-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie

Vance said he feels Trump has confidence in him

Republican vice presidential nominee JD Vance said he feels former President Donald Trump has confidence in him, according to an interview he did with NOTUS conducted on Wednesday and published Thursday.

“I think that any Republican who comes out of the gate as the new VP nominee is gonna get attacked. I have no doubt that the president is confident in the way that I’ve been doing things,” Vance said in the interview.

Vance said he and Trump have a “good relationship” and that it will keep on going through all the way to November, hopefully past that too.”

In the interview, Vance also said “there was a fallout in the aftermath of the November 2020 election.”

Vance said, “I think it’s weird to engage in hypotheticals given the law’s changed here” when asked how he would have handled a situation where Trump wanted him to act against the Constitution, as then-Vice President Mike Pence said he was asked to during the process of certifying the 2020 election.

This goes against what Vance said in an interview with “This Week” anchor George Stephanopolous in February. During that interview, Vance was willing to discuss what he would have done in 2020 — before some laws changed​.

“If I had been vice president, I would have told the states, like Pennsylvania, Georgia and so many others, that we needed to have multiple slates of electors and I think the U.S. Congress should have fought over it from there,” Vance said then. “That is the legitimate way to deal with an election that a lot of folks, including me, think had a lot of problems in 2020. I think that’s what we should have done.”

-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie and Oren Oppenheim

Trump doubles down on false racial attack against Harris

In a social media post Thursday morning, former President Donald Trump shared a family portrait of Vice President Kamala Harris.

“Your warmth, friendship, and love of your Indian Heritage are very much appreciated,” Trump wrote as the caption.

His social media post doubles down on his false claim that Harris only emphasized her Asian-American heritage, something he mentioned during his interview at the National Association of Black Journalists convention on Wednesday.

During the interview, he falsely questioned Harris’ race. Harris is the daughter of a Jamaican father and an Indian mother.

“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now, she wants to be known as Black. So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” Trump said during the NABJ interview.

He went on to say that “she was Indian all the way, and then all of a sudden she made a turn, and she went — she became a Black person.”

-ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa, Soorin Kim and Kelsey Walsh

Vance visiting southern border in Arizona

Vice presidential candidate JD Vance is visiting the southern border Thursday morning in Cochise County, Arizona.

Vance and Trump have sought to attack Harris over her handling of the border — something President Joe Biden assigned her to oversee as vice president. The border and immigration are a major issue for voters this election.

Vance discussed the border and attacked Democrats during a rally in Arizona Wednesday night.

“They suspended deportations. They stopped building the wall. They reinstated catch and release. That’s how every state became a border state: They just release them into our country. They fly them first class wherever they want to go and put them up in fancy hotels,” Vance claimed. “You’re paying for that, too. Then they proposed amnesty for millions of illegal aliens.”

-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie

DNC’s virtual roll call underway

The Democratic National Committee’s virtual voting process is underway — a process that will formally designate Vice President Kamala Harris as the official presidential nominee of the Democratic Party.

Harris was already deemed the presumptive nominee by the DNC earlier this week after she emerged from a process, laid out by the party’s Rules Committee, as the only qualified candidate.

The virtual roll call began at 9 a.m. ET Thursday and will go until 6 p.m. ET on Monday, Aug. 5.

Vance defends Trump’s comments at NABJ, calls Harris a ‘chameleon’ and ‘fake’

Former President Donald Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, defended his comments at the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) annual convention in Chicago Wednesday.

Ahead of his rally in Phoenix, Arizona, Vance told reporters he believes the media is “overreacting” to Trump’s remarks at NABJ, where he questioned his opponent Vice President Kamala Harris’ racial identity.

“I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago when she happened to turn Black and now, she wants to be known as Black. So, I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?” Trump said at the convention.

Vance told reporters Wednesday he found Trump’s comments “hysterical” adding that he believes the former president “pointed out the fundamental chameleon-like nature of Kamala Harris.”

“She is not who she pretends to be,” Vance said of Harris. “She’s flip-flopped on every issue. She’s fake, she’s phony,” he added.

Harris reacts to Trump’s NABJ remarks: ‘Same old show — the divisiveness and the disrespect’

Vice President Kamala Harris spoke out on the campaign trail on Wednesday night, reacting to former President Donald Trump’s headline-making appearance at the National Association of Black Journalists earlier in the day.

While not calling out any specific comments, Harris said that Trump’s appearance at the conference “was the same old show — the divisiveness and the disrespect.”

“And let me just say, the American people deserve better,” Harris added as she addressed a Houston crowd at the Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc.’s Boulé. “The American people deserve a leader who tells the truth; a leader who does not respond with hostility and anger when confronted with the facts; we deserve a leader who understands that our differences, do not divide us. They are an essential source of our strength.”

Sen. Kelly calls Trump ‘desperate scared old man’ over NABJ remarks

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, a vice presidential short-lister, criticized former President Donald Trump’s comments at the National Association of Black Journalists Convention about Vice President Kamala Harris Wednesday evening.

“I think those are the comments of a desperate scared old man, who over the last week especially has been having his butt kicked by an experienced prosecutor,” he said.

“And his comments are not unexpected from him. We’ve seen this over since when, 2015 or so? So he’s done this before he is not going to change it’s pretty obvious to me why he is doing this,” the senator added.

When asked by ABC News if he felt that Trump’s comments were rooted in racism, Kelly responded, “I think it’s who he is.”

GOP Senate candidate Larry Hogan slams Trump’s NABJ Convention remarks

Former Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, who is running for Senate, came down on former President Trump’s comments about Vice President Kamala Harris’ race.

“It’s unacceptable and abhorrent to attack Vice President Harris or anyone’s racial identity. The American people deserve better,” he said in a statement released Wednesday afternoon.

-ABC News’ Rick Klein

‘Trump showing exactly who he Is at NABJ,’ Harris campaign says

Michael Tyler, a spokesman for Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign, released a statement Wednesday responding to former President Donald Trump’s interview at the National Association of Black Journalists Convention in Chicago.

“The hostility Donald Trump showed on stage today is the same hostility he has shown throughout his life, throughout his term in office, and throughout his campaign for president as he seeks to regain power and inflict his harmful Project 2025 agenda on the American people,” he said.

“Trump lobbed personal attacks and insults at Black journalists the same way he did throughout his presidency – while he failed Black families and left the entire country digging out of the ditch he left us in. Donald Trump has already proven he cannot unite America, so he attempts to divide us,” Tyler added.

“Today’s tirade is simply a taste of the chaos and division that has been a hallmark of Trump’s MAGA rallies this entire campaign. It’s also exactly what the American people will see from across the debate stage as Vice President Harris offers a vision of opportunity and freedom for all Americans. All Donald Trump needs to do is stop playing games and actually show up to the debate on September 10,” he concluded.

-ABC News’ Mary Bruce

White House press secretary calls Trump’s comments on Harris’ race ‘repulsive’

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre pushed back against former President Donald Trump on Wednesday after he questioned Vice President Kamala Harris’ race during a panel at the National Association of Black Journalists Convention in Chicago.

Trump refused to answer a question by ABC News’ Rachel Scott if Harris, who is Black and Indian, was a “DEI hire,” an argument floated by some Republicans last week.

“She was always of Indian heritage, and she was only promoting Indian heritage,” Trump said. “I didn’t know she was Black until a number of years ago, when she happened to turn Black, and now she wants to be known as Black. So I don’t know, is she Indian or is she Black?”

He later said, “I really don’t know, could be, could be, there are some.”

Jean-Pierre criticized those comments during the daily White House briefing that was going on at the same time.

“As a person of color, as a Black woman who is in this position, that is standing before you at this podium, behind this lectern, what he just said, what you just read out to me is repulsive. It’s insulting,” she said. “And no one has any right to tell someone who they are, how they identify. That is no one’s right. It is someone’s own decisions.”

Jean-Pierre added that Harris — who attended Howard University, an HBCU, and was a member of the Black sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha — is the vice president and said that people have to “put some respect on her name.”

“It doesn’t matter if it’s a former leader, a former president. It is insulting. And we have to put — she is the vice president of the United States, Kamala Harris. We have to put some respect on her name,” Jean-Pierre said.

-ABC News’ Michelle Stoddart

UAW endorses Harris

The United Auto Workers International Executive Board voted Wednesday to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential bid.

“Our job in this election is to defeat Donald Trump and elect Kamala Harris to build on her proven track record of delivering for the working class,” UAW President Shawn Fain said in a statement.

“We stand at a crossroads in this country. We can put a billionaire back in office who stands against everything our union stands for, or we can elect Kamala Harris who will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with us in our war on corporate greed. This campaign is bringing together people from all walks of life, building a movement that can defeat Donald Trump at the ballot box. For our one million active and retired members, the choice is clear: We will elect Kamala Harris to be our next President this November,” he added.

-ABC News’ Brittany Shepherd

Trump, Harris campaign trade barbs over NABJ appearance

Trump posted another statement on Truth Social expressing fury that Harris may talk to the National Association of Black Journalists Conference via Zoom.

“I am getting ready to land in Chicago in order to be there. Now I am told that she is doing the Event on ZOOM. WHAT’S GOING ON HERE?” he posted.

In response to former President Trump’s appearance at NABJ, the Harris campaign released a statement calling out all of the “lies” they claim Trump will mention about his record with the Black community.

“Not only does Donald Trump have a history of demeaning NABJ members and honorees who remain pillars of the Black press, he also has a history of attacking the media and working against the vital role the press play in our democracy.”

The campaign listed “skyrocketing Black unemployment,” his response to the pandemic, and “skyrocketing crime.”

-ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Fritz Farrow, Isabella Murray and Will McDuffie

Harris fundraising off of her vice presidential selection process

The Harris campaign is fundraising off of the heightened interest in her selection process for her running mate.

The campaign shared a photo in an email Wednesday of President Joe Biden asking her to be his vice president, recounting how memorable of a moment it was for her before relaying she understands just how much of an “important” choice the decision is.

“Though I have not made my decision yet, it is important to me that grassroots supporters — like you — have direct updates about the state of the race,” Harris wrote. “The selection of my running mate is not something that I am taking lightly. It is an important choice,” the message read.

-ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim, Fritz Farrow, Isabella Murray and Will McDuffie

DNC Chair Harrison, other convention leaders to participate in NABJ event

The Democratic National Convention Committee released their own National Association of Black Journalists plans Wednesday, which come as their now-presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris remains off the conference’s schedule.

On Thursday, top convention leaders including DNC Chair Jamie Harrison will participate in an on the record Q&A session with members of the NABJ Political Task Force, according to Democratic National Convention Officials.

The conversation will be moderated by Choose Chicago Chair Glenn Eden. Other participants include Democratic National Convention Chair Minyon Moore, Chicago 2024 Host Committee Executive Director Christy George and Chicago 2024 Host Committee Senior Advisor Keiana Barret, according to the officials.

“Convention leadership will discuss how President Biden, Vice President [Harris], and Democrats have delivered for Black Americans by lowering health care costs, investing $7 billion in HBCUs, canceling more student debt than any president in history, and building an administration that looks like America,” the officials said.

-ABC News’ Isabella Murray

Trump interview at Black journalists association convention sparks controversy

Former President Donald Trump’s scheduled interview Wednesday at the National Association of Black Journalists convention in Chicago has sparked criticism from some of its members.

Trump will be in conversation with ABC News Senior Congressional Correspondent Rachel Scott, Fox News anchor Harris Faulkner and Semafor political reporter Kadia Goba at 1:30 p.m.

“While NABJ does not endorse political candidates as a journalism organization, we understand the serious work of our members, and welcome the opportunity for them to ask the tough questions that will provide the truthful answers Black Americans want and need to know,” Ken Lemon, the association’s president, said in a statement.

Some members have expressed criticism over the interview.

April Ryan, the Washington bureau chief of TheGrio who was awarded the NABJ’s “Journalist of the Year” back in 2017, wrote online that his invitation was “a slap in the face.”

Karen Attiah, the co-chair of the convention, resigned earlier this week after the NABJ announced Trump’s appearance. Attiah wrote in a post on X, “To the journalists interviewing Trump, I wish them the best of luck,” explaining that his appearance was only partly behind her decision and that it was “influenced by a variety of factors.”

Others, however, have defended the decision.

MSNBC host Symone Sanders-Townsend, who was formerly Vice President Kamala Harris’s spokesperson, wrote on X: “Some of the best journalists in the country are members of NABJ. So, why wouldn’t they interview Trump? He is the Republican nominee.”

-ABC News’ Alexandra Hutzler

Trump tries to downplay turnout at Harris rally

Former President Donald Trump attempted to pour cold water on the enthusiasm at Vice President Kamala Harris’ Tuesday night rally in Atlanta.

Trump claimed in a post on Truth Social Wednesday morning that the turnout was only high because artists performed ahead of her speech.

“Crazy Kamala Harris, voted the WORST Vice President in American history, needed a concert to bring people into the Atlanta arena, and they started leaving 5 minutes into her speech. I don’t need concerts or entertainers, I just have to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!!!” he said in his post.

-ABC News’ Lalee Ibssa, Soo Rin Kim and Kelsey Walsh

Mark Kelly defends Harris’ immigration record

Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, who is seen as a strong Democratic vice presidential pick, defended the vice president’s record on immigration and went on the attack against Republican vice presidential candidate JD Vance, in an interview on “Morning Joe” on Wednesday.

“Donald Trump and Senate Republicans, what did they do several months ago? We had a bipartisan bill that we negotiated faithfully with the administration, both sides of the aisle, and Donald Trump said that Senate Republicans can’t vote for it,” Kelly said. “He wanted to talk about this issue instead of actually fix it and JD Vance and other Republicans, they ran away from it.”

He said Vance, who plans to visit the U.S.-Mexico border Wednesday, should instead be back in Washington passing legislation on the border.

“I mean, JD Vance is down here,” Kelly said. “I think he’s in Arizona today probably getting a photo op at the southern border. Kamala Harris is about solving problems. Donald Trump wants to take us, drag us back a decade.”

Kelly said, in contrast, Harris wants to address border and immigration.

Vance says time to ‘load the muskets’ in Project 2025 leader’s book: Report

Republican Vice Presidential candidate JD Vance said it was “time to circle the wagons and load the muskets,” in a forward to a book penned by Project 2025’s leader, according to a report.

The New Republic obtained the forward to Dawn’s Early Light, the book written by the Heritage Foundation leader Kevin Roberts, where Vance claims “explores many of the themes I’ve focused on in my own work.”

“Never before has a figure with Roberts’s depth and stature within the American Right tried to articulate a genuinely new future for conservatism. The Heritage Foundation isn’t some random outpost on Capitol Hill; it is and has been the most influential engine of ideas for Republicans from Ronald Reagan to Donald Trump,” Vance wrote in the forward, according to the report published Tuesday.

Vance claims “Roberts sees a conservatism that is focused on the family,” and “cultural norms and attitudes matter.”

The senator ended his forward with an analogy about a garden that “needs to be recultivated.”

“As Kevin Roberts writes, ‘It’s fine to take a laissez-faire approach when you are in the safety of the sunshine. But when the twilight descends and you hear the wolves, you’ve got to circle the wagons and load the muskets,'” Vance wrote, according to the report. “We are now all realizing that it’s time to circle the wagons and load the muskets. In the fights that lay ahead, these ideas are an essential weapon.”

Harris to lay out path to strengthen middle class during Atlanta rally: Official

Vice President Kamala Harris is set to take the stage in Atlanta Tuesday night for her largest campaign rally to date.

Among the guests will be Megan Thee Stallion and Quavo.

During her speech, the vice president will lay out how she will prioritize the strengthening of middle-class families as president, according to a Harris official.

She will say a key to this is recognizing that prices remain too high for many essentials that families rely on, and she will lay out her plans to lower costs.

She will also discuss the state of the race, reiterating that she is the underdog in this race but has real momentum and grassroots enthusiasm at her side, and she is expected to call out former President Donald Trump for refusing to honor his commitment to debate, the official said.

Following her remarks, Harris will join a national campaign organizing call to thank volunteers for their support and talk about more ways to get involved with the campaign, the official said.

Biggest Harris donors push for Shapiro, Kelly, Beshear as VP picks: Source

The overwhelming majority of the largest Democratic donors are pushing for Vice President Kamala Harris to pick Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly or Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, a top adviser to major Democratic donors told ABC News.

The source says many of them are making their views known to Harris’ team and have been pushing to have a say in the process after surging large amounts of money into her campaign.

The donors say Shapiro would make a good choice because he has massive charisma and is a political talent at “Obama level,” he’s got a great brand in Pennsylvania and has chastised both Democrats and Republicans for being too extreme, according to the source.

Kelly’s popularity among the donors comes from the fact that he’s a veteran with real toughness, can talk about political violence from his personal perspective and has major name recognition and credibility in Arizona, the source said.

Beshear is popular among the donors because he’s a centrist southern Democrat who has successfully won in Kentucky two times, according to the source.

Top Biden adviser Anita Dunn leaving White House to help pro-Harris super PAC

Anita Dunn, a top adviser to President Joe Biden, is leaving the White House next week to advise the largest super PAC supporting Vice President Kamala Harris, a source close to Dunn told ABC News.

This marks the first major shakeup to Biden’s inner circle since he announced he was dropping out of the presidential race. Dunn played a key role in Biden’s 2020 campaign and was previously a top adviser to President Barack Obama’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns.

“It’s been an honor and privilege to serve in this White House, with this President and this team, during this transformational term,” Dunn said in a statement shared with ABC News. “I am grateful to President Biden and Vice President Harris for their leadership and giving me the opportunity to be part of what they have accomplished for the American people.”

Dunn will be a senior adviser to the super PAC Future Forward and an adviser to its partner organization Future Forward USA. She will work on super PAC efforts that will coordinate with the Harris campaign, according to the source close to Dunn.

Biden said in a statement that he was grateful for Dunn’s work.

“I deeply value her counsel and friendship and I will continue to rely on her partnership and insights as we finish the job over the next six months,” he said.

-ABC News’ Selina Wang

Schumer says he’s not worried about Senate majority if Harris picks senator for VP

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer brushed off concerns Tuesday about keeping the Senate majority if Kamala Harris were to select a Democratic senator as her vice presidential pick.

“I have total confidence that Vice President Harris will choose a great vice-presidential candidate,” Schumer said during his weekly press conference.

Schumer dodged a question about the possibility of a key swing state opening if Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly is chosen as Harris’ running mate.

-ABC News’ Lauren Peller

Harris says she still hasn’t picked VP

Harris told reporters she still hasn’t decided who her running mate will be as she boarded a plane Tuesday for a trip to Atlanta.

“Madam vice president, have you chosen your VP yet? Have you chosen yet?” ABC News’ Fritz Farrow asked.

“Not yet,” Harris said with a smile as she stopped midway up the steps of Air Force Two.

-ABC News’ Justin Gomez

Biden says he’s talking with Harris about VP choices

President Joe Biden told reporters Monday night after returning from a trip to Texas that he’s “talking” with Harris about her choices for vice president.

Biden was also asked about hitting the trail for Harris, and said he “did” with his trip.

-ABC News’ Molly Nagle

Vance, in 2020, said those without kids are ‘more sociopathic’

As Vance continues to face criticism for his 2021 comments about “childless cat ladies,” more of his previous comments about individuals without kids have resurfaced.

In a podcast from November 2020, Vance said those without kids — especially in America’s leadership class — were “more sociopathic” than those with kids and made the country “less mentally stable.”

Vance’s comments occurred on the podcast after he discussed the impact having children had on him.

Vance also added that the “most deranged” and “most psychotic” people on Twitter, now known as X, are people who don’t have kids.

“There’s just these basic cadences of life that I think are really powerful and really, really valuable when you have kids in your life, and the fact that so many people, especially in America’s leadership class, just don’t have that in their lives, you know, I worry that it makes people more sociopathic, and ultimately, our whole country a little bit less less mentally stable,” Vance said in the podcast.

“And of course, you talk about going on Twitter. Final point I’ll make is you go on Twitter, and almost always the people who are most deranged and most psychotic, are people who don’t have kids at home.”

CNN was the first to report on the podcast.

-ABC News’ Hannah Demissie

Trump out with $12M ad buy criticizing Harris on the border

Trump’s campaign is targeting Harris in its biggest television ad buy since at least January, reserving eight-figure dollar worth of airtime in six key battleground states, according to ad tracking firm AdImpact.

The 30-second ad zeroes in on the rhetoric that Harris “failed” in her role handling immigration issues in President Biden’s administration, calling her “weak” and “dangerously liberal.”

“This is America’s border czar, and she’s failed us. Under Harris, over ten million illegally here, a quarter of a million Americans dead from fentanyl, brutal migrant crimes, and ISIS now here,” a narrator in the ad says, followed by an interview clip of Harris appearing to admit she hasn’t visited the border.

Harris was assigned to address the root causes of migration in Central and South America. She made one visit to the southern border operations in June 2021.

The Harris campaign hit back that Trump was responsible for “killing the toughest border deal in decades” and accused him of misrepresenting her record.

“As a former district attorney, attorney general, and now vice president, Kamala Harris has spent her career taking on and prosecuting violent criminals and making our communities safer. She’ll do the same as president,” said Harris campaign spokesperson Ammar Moussa.

-ABC News’ Soorin Kim and Gabriella Abdul-Hakim

Trump attempts to clean up Vance’s ‘childless cat ladies’ comments

Appearing on Fox News The Ingraham Angle on Monday night, Trump attempted to clean up his vice presidential pick’s previous comments about “childless cat ladies,” but didn’t really address the comments.

Instead, he rambled about how Vance is pro-family.

“He made a statement having to do with families. That doesn’t mean that people that aren’t a member of a big and beautiful family with 400 children around and everything else, it doesn’t mean that a person doesn’t have, he’s not against anything, but he loves family. It’s very important to him. He grew up in a very interesting family situation, and he feels family is good, and I don’t think there’s anything wrong in saying that,” Trump said downplaying Vance’s comments.

Gloria Steinem, Chelsea Clinton and more participate in ‘Women for Harris’ call

The Democratic National Committee held a “Women for Harris” call on Monday night.

Over the course of two-and-a-half hours, viewers heard from Chelsea Clinton, California Sen. Laphonza Butler, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Gloria Steinem, Ana Navarro and leaders of organizations like Emily’s List and Mom’s Demand Action.

Clinton lamented her mother’s loss in 2016 but told viewers that defeating the former president is even more important than it was in 2016 because Americans now have a “record” of things to hold him accountable for.

“My mom put a few more cracks in that glass ceiling. And Vice President Harris is going to obliterate that glass ceiling,” Clinton said.

The call included a host of organizations who support Harris, including Black women who held the first iteration of these pop up fundraising calls with the group Win with Black Women. Glynda Carr, founder of Higher Heights PAC, which supports Black women leadership, told attendees what made this call uniquely important was the realization that women from all walks of life are “stronger together.”

Another “Women for Harris” call is planned for Tuesday night.

Harris launches $50 million ad campaign

Vice President Kamala Harris rolled out an aggressive $50 million, three-week advertising blitz for the first ad of her presidential campaign on Tuesday, in which she introduces herself to voters, highlights her career and takes hits at former President Donald Trump.

“The one thing Kamala Harris has always been: fearless,” a narrator says at the start of the minute-long ad, as pictures of Harris over the years — from a toddler to college graduate to vice president — flash on screen.

“As a prosecutor, she put murderers and abusers behind bars,” the narrator continued. “As California’s attorney general, she went after the big banks and won $20 billion for homeowners. And as vice president, she took on the big drug companies to cap the cost of insulin for seniors. Because Kamala Harris has always known who she represents.”

The spot then leads into laying out Harris’ vision and attacking Trump, using footage from her first rally of the campaign last week in a high school gym just outside Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

“We believe in a future where every person has the opportunity not just to get by, but to get ahead. Where every senior can retire with dignity,” Harris said in the footage from the rally. “But Donald Trump wants to take our country backward, to give tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations and end the Affordable Care Act.”

“But we are not going back,” she added.

Harris campaign chair, Jen O’Malley Dillon, said in a statement that because of Harris’ prosecutorial, congressional and vice-presidential experience, the vice president is “uniquely suited to take on Donald Trump, a convicted felon who has spent his entire life ripping off working people, tearing away our rights, and fighting for himself.”

‘White Dudes for Harris’ raises over $4 million in 3 hours

The “White Dudes for Harris” livestream held on Monday night raised over $4 million over three hours in support of Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential bid, organizers said.

The event featured participants from politics and a parade of celebrities — including “The Dude” himself, The Big Lebowski’s Jeff Bridges — all making their own call to action for other white men to step up in their support for Harris.

Over 190,000 people tuned into the Zoom call, organizers of the unofficial event said at the conclusion of the stream.

Among the recognizable faces that cropped up during the livestream were Star Wars icon Mark Hamill, Supernatural alum Misha Collins, The West Wing alum Bradley Whitford, Frozen’s Josh Gad and singer Josh Groban. Several potential running mates for Harris also joined the event, including North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, who withdrew from contention for vice president on the Democratic ticket around the time he spoke at the meeting. He did not mention his withdrawal on the call.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker and Michigan Sen. Gary Peters, all still in the running for Harris’ vice-presidential pick, were also part of the “White Dudes for Harris” meeting.

JD Vance said Democratic ticket switch to Harris was ‘sucker punch’: Report

Sen. JD Vance, running mate to former President Donald Trump, said over the weekend that Kamala Harris moving to the top of the Democratic ticket was a “sucker punch,” according to the Washington Post.

“All of us were hit with a little bit of a political sucker punch,” Vance said to donors over the weekend in Minnesota, per an audio recording the paper said it had obtained. “The bad news is that Kamala Harris does not have the same baggage as Joe Biden, because whatever we might have to say, Kamala is a lot younger. And Kamala Harris is obviously not struggling in the same ways that Joe Biden did.”

When asked about the report and Vance’s “sucker punch” comment, a spokesperson for the vice presidential contender took aim at Harris.

“Poll after poll shows President Trump leading Kamala Harris as voters become aware of her weak, failed and dangerously liberal agenda. Her far-left ideas are even more radioactive than Joe Biden, particularly in the key swing states that will decide this election like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin,” Vance spokesperson William Martin said in a statement.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper will not be Kamala Harris’ VP pick

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper issued a statement on Monday night signaling that he’s removed himself from contention as a vice presidential running mate for presidential candidate Kamala Harris.

“I strongly support Vice President Harris’ campaign for President. I know she’s going to win and I was honored to be considered for this role. This just wasn’t the right time for North Carolina and for me to potentially be on a national ticket,” he said in a post on X.

“As l’ve said from the beginning, she has an outstanding list of people from which to choose, and we’ll all work to make sure she wins,” he added.

Trump says he’ll ‘probably end up debating’ Harris

Former President Donald Trump seems to be one step closer to formally agreeing to debate his opponent for the presidency, Vice President Kamala Harris.

During an interview on The Ingraham Angle Monday night, Trump told the Fox News host that he will “probably end up debating” Harris. In his remarks, though, he also appeared to downplay the necessity of debates.

“I want to do a debate, but I also can say this. Everybody knows who I am. And now people know who she is,” he said.

“If you’re going to have a debate, you gotta do it, I think, before the votes are cast. I think it’s very important that you do that. So, the answer is yes, but I can also make a case for not doing it,” Trump said.

A short while later, a spokesperson for Harris’ campaign issued a statement on Trump’s comments on Fox, insisting that the vice president will be at the next debate no matter what.

“Why won’t Donald Trump give a straight answer on debating Vice President Harris? It’s clear from tonight’s question-dodging: he’s scared he’ll have to defend his running mate’s weird attacks on women, or his own calls to end elections in America in a debate against the vice president. Vice President Harris will be on the debate stage September 10th. Donald Trump can show up, or not,” the statement said. 

Megan Thee Stallion to perform at VP Kamala Harris’ campaign rally in Atlanta: Source

Rapper Megan thee Stallion will give a special performance at Vice President Kamala Harris’ rally in Atlanta, Georgia, on Tuesday, a source familiar confirmed to ABC News.

In addition to Megan thee Stallion, Georgia Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock and former Rep. Stacey Abrams will be in attendance, supporting Harris’ 2024 presidential bid.

The news was first reported by Billboard.

Marianne Williamson suspends her Democratic presidential bid, again

Democratic long-shot nominee Marianne Williamson has suspended her campaign for president, announcing on X Monday that it is “time to let go” of her bid for the White House.

Williamson said she failed to register for the Democratic National Convention’s candidate directory by Saturday evening’s deadline.

Harris will be at ABC News debate with or without Trump, her campaign says

Vice President Kamala Harris will be at ABC News’ Sept. 10 debate with or without former President Donald Trump, her campaign communications director said Monday.

“As Vice President Harris said last week, the American people deserve to hear from the two candidates running for the highest office in the land and she will do that at September’s ABC debate,” her campaign communications director, Michael Tyler, said in a statement first reported by the Hill. “If Donald Trump and his team are saying anything other than ‘we’ll see you there’ — and it appears that they are — it’s a convenient, but expected backtrack from Team Trump. Vice President Harris will be there on September 10th — we’ll see if Trump shows.”

While Harris has previously affirmed her intention to be at the debate, this statement takes it a step further by saying she’ll show up regardless of Trump’s presence.

Trump accepted the debate when Biden was still the presumptive Democratic nominee, though his campaign has since said they’re waiting until there is an official Democratic nominee before agreeing to debates.

Election content on social media ‘could be propaganda’ for foreign adversaries: ODNI

Content about the election on social media “could be propaganda” for foreign adversaries, officials with the Office of the Director of National Intelligence warned on Monday.

“The American public should know that content that they read online, especially on social media, could be foreign propaganda, even if it appears to be coming from fellow Americans or originating in the United States,” an ODNI official said on a conference call with reporters on Monday. “In short, foreign influence actors are getting better at hiding their hand and using Americans to do it.”

Russia is still pervasive in this space and remains the biggest threat to the election, according to the officials.

The officials also warned that the influence operators will use the assassination attempt against former President Donald Trump “as part of their narratives portraying the event to fit their broad goals.”

-ABC News’ Luke Barr

DNC says it raked in $6.5M in grassroots donations in 24 hours after Biden endorsed Harris

The Democratic National Committee is claiming it has raised $6.5 million in grassroots donations in the 24 hours after President Biden’s endorsement of Vice President Harris on July 21.

The DNC said $1 million was donated in the 5 p.m. hour alone for what they’re claiming is a record for its best online fundraising day of all time.

The DNC is making a significant push in battleground states, investing an additional $15 million into those crucial states this month to fund new field offices, build data infrastructure, mobilize volunteers and strengthen coordinated campaigns.

“Democratic voters, volunteers, and grassroots donors are fired up,” chairman Jaime Harrison said in a memo. “We are confident that in our battleground states, Democrats will win up and down the ballot in November.”

-ABC News’ Gabriella Abdul-Hakim

5:28 PM EDT
Gov. Andy Beshear rallies for Harris in Atlanta, calls out JD Vance

Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear spoke on Sunday at the opening of Kamala Harris’ campaign office in Forsyth County, Georgia.

The possible VP pick for Harris has been an effective surrogate for the vice president’s White House bid over the weekend, coming to the metro Atlanta event fresh off of a stump in Iowa on Saturday night.

The red-state governor introduced himself to the Southern audience on Sunday while boosting Harris’ candidacy and taking a number of swipes at Trump’s Vice Presidential pick, JD Vance.

“Are you ready to beat Donald Trump? Are you ready to beat JD Vance? Are you ready to elect Kamala Harris president of the United States of America?” Beshear asked the crowd, adding, “Let’s win this race,”

“Let me tell you just a bit about myself,” Beshear said. “I’m a proud pro-union governor. I’m a proud pro-choice governor. I am a proud pro-public education governor. I am a proud pro-diversity governor and I’m a proud Harris for president governor,” he added.

Calling out Vance, Beshear said, “Just let me be clear. JD Vance ain’t from Kentucky. He ain’t from Appalachia. And he ain’t gonna be the vice president of the United States.”

-ABC News’ Isabella Murray

2:18 PM EDT
Former Vice President Al Gore endorses Kamala Harris

Former Vice President Al Gore endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris on Sunday.

“As a prosecutor, [Kamala Harris] took on Big Oil companies — and won. As [VP], she cast the tie-breaking vote to pass the most significant investment in climate solutions in history, the Inflation Reduction Act. That’s the kind of climate champion we need in the White House,” he wrote on X.

“With so much at stake in this year’s election — from strengthening democracy in the US and abroad, to expanding opportunity for the American people, to accelerating climate action — I’m proud to endorse Kamala Harris for President,” he added.

-ABC News’ Oren Oppenheim

July 28, 2024, 10:42 AM EDT
Vance says Trump ‘doesn’t care’ about his past criticism

During a quick stop at a diner in Minnesota on Sunday morning, Sen. JD Vance on Sunday spoke about his past criticisms of former President Donald Trump.

When asked by ABC News if he and Trump have talked about his past criticism of the former president, Vance said yes, adding that Trump “doesn’t care about what I said eight years ago.”

“I mean, look, President Trump and I have talked a lot about this,” Vance said. “In fact, I sometimes joke that I wish that he had the memory of Joe Biden, because he’s got a memory like a steel trap, and he certainly remembers criticisms that people have made.”

“But this is where the media, I think, really misses Trump — Donald Trump accepts that people can change their mind, and you ask, ‘Why did I change my mind on Donald Trump?’ Because his agenda made people’s lives better,” Vance said.

“This whole thing is not about red team versus blue team or winning an election for its own sake. It’s about getting a chance to govern so that you can bring down the cost of groceries, close that border and stop the fentanyl coming across our country for four years,” Vance continued, saying he was “wrong” about Trump.

“He did a better job of that than anybody that I’ve ever seen as president in my lifetime. So I changed my mind, because he did a good job. And that’s what you do when people do a good job and you’re wrong. I’ve talked to President Trump a lot about it, but look, he, I mean, he just, he doesn’t… He doesn’t care about what I said eight years ago. He cares about whether we together [and] can govern the country successful.”

When asked again if the two have talked about the subject, specifically in the last week since his comments have resurfaced, Vance admitted that they haven’t spoken about it and their conversations have focused on the race ahead.

-ABC News’ Kelsey Walsh, Soorin Kim and Hannah Demissie

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(NEW YORK) — A New York appeals court on Thursday denied former President Donald Trump’s effort to throw out the limited gag order in his New York criminal “hush money” case.

A panel of five judges from New York’s mid-level appeals court rejected Trump’s argument the gag order was no longer necessary since the former president’s trial concluded, determining that the “fair administration of justice necessarily includes sentencing.”

Trump’s sentencing, originally scheduled for last month, was postponed until Sept. 18 in light of the Supreme Court’s ruling on presidential immunity.

Judge Juan Merchan imposed the gag order in March, prohibiting Trump from making public comments about jurors, witnesses, court staff and individual prosecutors in the case other than Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. Merchan held Trump in criminal contempt 10 times for violating the gag order, fined the former president $10,000, and threatened to imprison him if he violated the gag order again.

Merchan lifted some of the gag order in June related to jurors and witnesses, but left intact a portion of the gag order preventing statements about court staff, prosecutors and their families.

New York’s Appellate Division found the remaining provisions of the gag order were justified in part due to the continued threats to Bragg and his staff.

“Contrary to petitioner’s contentions, the People’s evidentiary submissions in opposition to his motion in Supreme Court demonstrate that threats received by District Attorney staff after the jury verdict continued to pose a significant and imminent threat,” the ruling said.

Trump was found guilty in May on 34 felony counts of falsifying business records related to a 2016 hush money payment to adult film actress Stormy Daniels in order to boost his electoral prospects in the 2016 presidential election.

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(WASHINGTON) — President Joe Biden is celebrating a prisoner swap that freed several wrongfully detained American citizens held in Russia, including Evan Gershkovich and Paul Whelan, saying Thursday “their agony is over.”

“Today, three American citizens and one American green card holder who were unjustly imprisoned in Russia are finally coming home: Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva, and Vladimir Kara-Murza,” Biden said in a statement.

“All told, we’ve negotiated the release of 16 people from Russia — including five Germans and seven Russian citizens who were political prisoners in their own country,” he said. “Some of these women and men have been unjustly held for years. All have endured unimaginable suffering and uncertainty. Today, their agony is over.”

Biden delivered remarks from the White House on the exchange, which officials said he was directly involved in helping negotiate. As he spoke, he was surrounded by family members of those released.

“It’s an incredible relief for all the family members gathered here,” Biden said. “It’s a relief to the friends and colleagues all across the country who’ve been praying for this day for a long time.”

Biden looked back at the family members and said “they never gave up hope” and that the day was “all about families being able to be together again.”

Biden also thanked the other nations involved in the swap, which is the largest since the Cold War, saying “the deal that made this possible was a feat of diplomacy and friendship.”

“And let me be clear: I will not stop working until every American wrongfully detained or held hostage around the world is reunited with their family. My Administration has now brought home over 70 such Americans, many of whom were in captivity since before I took office,” Biden said in the written statement. “Still, too many families are suffering and separated from their loved ones, and I have no higher priority as President than bringing those Americans home.”

“Today, we celebrate the return of Paul, Evan, Alsu, and Vladimir and rejoice with their families. We remember all those still wrongfully detained or held hostage around the world. And reaffirm our pledge to their families: We see you. We are with you. And we will never stop working to bring your loved ones home where they belong.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.

(WASHINGTON) — Russia, the United States and several other countries on Thursday were engaged in an extraordinary, 24-prisoner exchange, the largest of its kind since the Cold War and one in which President Joe Biden was directly involved, the White House said Thursday.

The swap allows the two wrongfully detained American citizens held by Moscow — Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan — to return home.

Shortly before noon Thursday, Gershkovich and Whelan had been freed and were on their way back to the U.S., Secretary of State Antony Blinken said.

The multipart deal is the product of months of detailed, painstaking negotiations, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.

“Some of these women and men have been unjustly held for years. All have endured unimaginable suffering and uncertainty. Today, their agony is over,” Biden said in a statement.

“This is a very good afternoon,” Biden said not long after in remarks at the White House, surrounded by family members of those freed. “Moments ago, the families and I were able to speak to them on the telephone from the Oval Office. They’re out of Russia.”

Asked by a reporter what he told them, Biden responded, smiling, “I said, ‘Welcome almost home.'”

The exchange also frees Alsu Kurmasheva, a Russian-American journalist, and Vladimir Kara-Muza, a legal permanent resident of the U.S..

“The president is gathering the families of Paul Whelan, Evan Gershkovich, Alsu Kurmasheva and Vladimir Kara-Murza at the White House to share with them the news that an exchange is underway to secure the release of their loved ones from Russia,” Sullivan told reporters on Thursday morning.

According to a senior administration official, Biden was monitoring the situation “in near real time” through updates from his national security team, and will stay plugged in throughout of the day.

The official also hoped to have the families connect with their loved ones on the airplane.

Release ‘uniquely challenging

Sullivan said securing the release of the Americans was “uniquely challenging” due to the strained relationship between the countries and the war in Ukraine.

Another hurdle, he said, was Russia’s unwillingness to agree to a swap that did not include Vadim Krasikov, a Russian operative and hitman who was serving a life sentence in Germany for gunning down an opponent to the Kremlin on the streets of Berlin.

“That required extensive diplomatic engagement with our German counterparts, starting at the top with the president himself, who worked this issue directly with Chancellor Schultz. We are deeply grateful to Germany for their partnership,” Sullivan said.

Gershkovich, 32, was arrested by Russian authorities in March 2023 for espionage, a charge he and U.S. officials flatly deny, with President Biden saying Gershkovich was targeted for being a journalist and an American.

After an unusually hasty trial that played out behind closed doors, Gershkovich was found guilty and sentenced to 16 years in a high-security penal colony.

Whelan, who holds U.S., British, Irish and Canadian citizenship, was arrested in December 2018 while traveling on an American passport in Russia and also accused of espionage.

Both the Biden and Trump administrations denied the allegation against Whelan. He was convicted on the charges in June 2020 and sentenced to 16 years in prison, ultimately serving five.

Kurmasheva, a dual citizen of the U.S. and Russia, was arrested by Russian authorities in 2023 for failing to register as a foreign agent. Kara-Muza was serving a 25-year sentence for criticism of the war in Ukraine.

As part of the exchange, Russia has also agreed to release a dozen German nationals who were being held as political prisoners.

Biden’s role and US-Russia relations

A senior administration official said even on the day he announced he was no longer seeking reelection, President Biden was on the phone working to secure this deal.

“The hour before he released that statement – literally an hour before he released that statement – he was on the phone with his Slovenian counterpart urging them to make the final arrangements and get this deal over the finish line,” the official said. “This exchange is not by accident. It really is the result of a heck of a lot of leadership by President Biden and by the strength of relationships,” the senior administration official said.

A senior administration official says despite this significant agreement, there should be no expectation of improved U.S.-Russia relations going forward.

This official said the administration has shown it can hold Russia accountable for its aggression on the world stage while “compartmentalizing out” the work on securing the release of Americans that are wrongfully detained.

“I would be cautious and would counsel anyone to be cautious in surmising from this that it’s some sort of break through in the relationship and it portends some detente with Russia or an easing of the tensions in our relationship.”

This official said Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine, pressure on NATO allies and across Europe, and the “burgeoning defense relationship” Putin is forming with China, North Korea and Iran are “of significant concern,” the official said.

“We will not see a policy change by President Biden and the administration when it comes to standing up to Putin’s aggression,” the official said.

Prisoners handed over by US

The three prisoners handed over from the U.S. are Roman Seleznev, Vladislav Klyushin and Vadim Konoshchenock.

The son of a Russian lawmaker, Seleznev was found guilty by a U.S. federal court in Washington State running a cyber scheme targeting thousands of U.S. businesses, resulting in $169 million in losses. He was sentenced to 27 years in prison in 2017.

That same year, Seleznev pleaded guilty to participating in a racketeering scheme in Nevada and conspiracy to commit bank fraud in Georgia, receiving a 14-year jail term for each to run concurrently with the Washington sentence.

Klyushin, a Russian businessman linked to the Kremlin, was sentenced to nine years in prison in September 2023 after he was convicted of playing a key role in a stock market cheating scheme that relied on insider information obtained by hacking U.S. computer systems.

Konoshchenko was accused of smuggling American-made military equipment into Russia and laundering money for Moscow. He was awaiting trial and facing a maximum sentence of 30 years behind bars.

Apart from Krasikov, prisoners returning to Russia from other countries include two from Slovenia, one from Norway, and one from Poland.

Despite the groundbreaking nature of the deal, White House officials cautioned against seeing the agreement as a watershed moment for U.S.-Russia relations at large.

“We will not see a policy change by President Biden and the administration when it comes to standing up to Putin’s aggression,” one official said.

The deal comes as a surprise to Kremlin observers and some U.S. officials, who believed Vladimir Putin would be reticent to strike a deal that could be perceived as a win for the Biden administration.

The State Department revealed in December that the U.S. had put forward a “substantial proposal” to free Gershkovich and Whelan but said Russia had rejected it—although administration officials said negotiations between the countries pressed forward.

Former President Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for the White House, previously promised that he would free Gershkovich “as soon as I win the election.”

Gershkovich and Whelan were the only two Americans imprisoned in Russia considered by the U.S. government to be wrongfully detained, but at least ten other U.S. citizens are jailed in the country under dubious circumstances, according to officials familiar with the matter.

One official said that the U.S. regretted it could not include Marc Fogel, an American school teacher arrested in Russia for trying to carry a small amount of medical marijuana into the country, as part of the swap.

In recent years, the U.S. and Russia have completed two straightforward one-for-one prisoner exchanges to free wrongfully detained Americans.

The countries swapped U.S. Marine Corps veteran Trevor Reed for Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko, who was serving out a sentence for drug smuggling, in April 2022.

In December of the same year, Russia freed Brittney Griner, a WNBA basketball player, in exchange for the release of Viktor Bout, an arms dealer known as the “merchant of death.”

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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