Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Air Force One that the State Department is working to get personnel to Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been imprisoned in Russia on espionage charges.
“I wish I had breakthrough news, a breakthrough update, for all of you. I just do not,” Jean-Pierre stated.
“The State Department is working very hard to get a counselor, as I mentioned yesterday, to Evan, which is something that we do for all Americans that are detained,” the press secretary added.
Reporting from The Washington Times:
The 31-year-old American was taken into custody Wednesday by Russia’s Federal Security Service, or FSB, in the city of Yekaterinburg. He was filing stories from Russia as recently as this week, but Russian officials said he was using his credentials as a journalist for “activities that have nothing to do with journalism” and had acted on direct orders from the U.S. government. The Journal vehemently denied the charges in a statement Thursday.
