Jake Sullivan [White House press conference]: Later in the day [on Wednesday], Biden will host a small group of leaders at the White House for a discussion on upcoming presidential elections in 2023, in Africa, and U.S. support for free, fair, and credible polls across the continent.
[plotting to steal elections in Africa]
Sullivan: [Biden] intends to announce support for the African Union to join the G20 as a permanent member.
[steal their elections, then bring them into the G20]
Sullivan says State Department officials are 'working closely' with Griner at Ft. Sam Houston.
[seems unusual for a 'basketball player' to be debriefed(?) for days, but not for an intelligence asset]
Reporter at White House briefing says that more than nineteen million was paid to the U.S. government by Equatorial Guinea for vaccines that have never been delivered. Sullivan describes that as 'misunderstandings and misconceptions'.
Reporter: Does the administration consider Viktor Bout to be a terrorist?
Sullivan: He's not listed as 'specially designated national', what we consider him to have been was a convicted criminal, convicted of arms trafficking and other crimes.
Reporter: Does the U.S. government have any sense of how many people are coming across [the border] that they have no visibility on…you have no idea who they are?
Sullivan: I'm sorry, I'm not sure I understand the question.
Reporter: How many people crossing the border that the U.S. government has no idea…how many people aren't giving their name, aren't giving IDs, aren't able to verify who they are.
Sullivan: We have estimates of how many encounters there are at the border on a daily basis. We have processes and procedures in place to identify those individuals, to process them, and do what is appropriate based on that processing. We believe that the system is a system that does an effective job at being able to determine who is coming across the border, and what the right way to deal with their case is.
Both Jean-Pierre and Sullivan stated that lifting any sanctions against Russia are off the table when it comes to negotiating the release of Paul Whelan.