Rep. Stevens calls on Biden to address Paul Whelan, Michigander imprisoned in Russia during State of the Union

WASHINGTON, D.C. (WWJ) – Rep. Haley Stevens of Michigan says she is calling on President Joe Biden to address the “false imprisonment” of Paul Whelan, a Michigan native who has been held in a Russian prison since 2018.

In a statement Monday, the congresswoman for Michigan's 11th District says she will be attending Biden’s first State of the Union Address on Tuesday and she is imploring the president “to address the false imprisonment of Americans by the Kremlin” as Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared war on Ukraine.

“Paul must be protected from Russian retaliation against the United States and brought home to Michigan,” Stevens said. “We must recognize how much is at stake here for members of our own community who carry the weight of loved ones endangered by Putin's cruelty and act decisively in the face of these continued, baseless assaults.”