The Wall Street Journal's report on the negotiations for Evan Gershkovich's release from Russian prison reveals troubling details about Joe Biden's role in the process. According to the report, Biden nearly botched the prisoner exchange due to a lack of understanding of the situation, strongly suggesting that Secretary of State Antony Blinken is actually running the show.
The report describes an encounter at the White House Correspondents' Dinner where Gershkovich's mother, Ella, approached Biden to urge him to call German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. She was instructed by Roger Carstens, the special presidential envoy for hostage affairs, to make this request. Biden, in response, claimed he had already made the call, but Blinken corrected him, saying they would make it. Biden later sent a formal letter to Scholz, which was necessary to advance the deal.
Mainstream journalists like CNN's Edward-Isaac Dovere have portrayed this moment as a demonstration of Biden's exceptional energy and diplomatic prowess. However, a neutral interpretation reveals a different story. The scene depicts the mother of an American prisoner in Russia waiting in a handshake line to deliver a message from Biden's own hostage negotiator. When she asks Biden to call the German chancellor, Biden wrongly claims he has already done so. Blinken then subtly corrects him, indicating that Biden is mistaken. Ultimately, Biden does not make the call; instead, a letter with his signature is sent.
The incident raises questions about Biden's grasp of the situation and who is truly managing U.S. diplomatic efforts and running the country.
