more has not been done to secure my release. i m happy that brittney is going home today and that trevor went home when he did, but i don t understand why i m still sitting here. my bags are packed. i m ready to go home. reporter: whelan told cnn that the russians see him at a higher level than griner. he s been charged with espionage and sentenced to 16 years. this was not a choice of which american to bring home. the choice was one or none. i wholeheartedly wish that we could have brought paul home today on the same plane as brittney. reporter: the big question now is how to get paul whelan home, who the russians will want in exchange and whether the u.s. will be willing to do it. jake, you could hear in that exclusive interview that paul whelan did with our colleague jennifer hancer that he is deeply frustrated. he says today russia got the better deal, that griner was exchanged for what he called a world-class felon. he said he believes russia is dangling him, paul whelan, ov