Transcript for US ambassador meets with American arrested in Russia

developments in the case of the American arrested in Russia accused of espionage. The U.S. Ambassador met with Paul Whelan Wednesday as he was being held in one of Russia's most notorious prisons. Martha Raddatz tracking all the latest. Reporter: This is a prison known for its harsh conditions, once run by the kgb, this is where his lawyer and the U.S. Ambassador visited Paul Whelan. He told the family that Whelan was in good condition, but when and if he will get out of there any time soon is still a big question. And this morning, an ominous sign. A Russian news agency reporting that Whelan was found with a classified list of Russian operatives just before his arrest in his hotel room. They say he was trying to recruit Russians but this could well be a setup. Whelan is the security head of a U.S. Company. He traveled to Russia numerous times so may have been an easy mark. There are fears this could be retaliation for the arrest here in the U.S. Of MARIA butina who pleaded guilty to trying to infiltrate conservative political circles. Whelan is charged with espionage, but he would be a highly unlikely intelligence operative. He was kicked out of the marine Corps ten years ago for attempted larceny and dereliction of duty. Not the kind of person our intelligence agencies would hire, George. So many questions yet to be answered. Thanks very much.

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