The Biden Administration has negotiated the release of WNBA player Brittney Griner, who was imprisoned in Russia earlier this year. Last July, the Biden Administration offered Russia a trade deal to give them confirmed Russian terrorist Victor Bout in exchange for both Griner and former Marine Paul Whelan. Russia declined this trade, and the deal was renegotiated to be a 1:1 swap of Bout for Griner. Whelan, a veteran who has been imprisoned in Russia for over four years, will remain there.
Nothing screams pro-American leadership quite like the Biden Administration releasing a person referred to as “the most dangerous man in the world” and “the merchant of death.” Bout is a known terrorist, and trading him freely for a WNBA player and NOT a captured veteran is despicable. This is a slap in the face to all of our armed forces and those who fight for our country — the Biden Administration will not save you, nor do they care about you.
“This was not a choice of which American to bring home,” Biden said. “Sadly, for totally illegitimate reasons, Russia is treating Paul’s case differently than Brittney’s. And while we have not yet succeeded in securing Paul’s release, we are not giving up. We will never give up.” This was a phony trade, there is no excuse for it.
“It’s a great day for the families of the wrongfully detained and we feel wonderful for them,” David Whelan, Paul’s brother, said on CNN This Morning. “But we do worry about what’s in Paul’s future. I think it’s become clear that the US doesn’t have any concessions that the Russian government wants for Paul. So I’m not really sure what the future holds.”
