Former President Trump has ripped the ‘stupid’ prisoner swap of ‘unpatriotic’ US women’s NBA star Britney Griner for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in a deal brokered by Saudi Arabia.
Meanwhile, Trump’s national security adviser John Bolton said trade puts other Americans at risk of being held captive by rogue states for bargaining power.
President Biden declared the swap a victory this morning as Griner spent more than nine months in prison on marijuana charges. Other critics see the deal as a boon to Russian President Vladimir Putin and his war effort.
‘What kind of deal would it be to trade Brittney Griner, a basketball player who openly hates our Country, for the man known as ‘The Merchant of Death,’ who is one of the biggest arms dealers anywhere in the World, and is responsible for tens of thousands of deaths and terrible injuries,’ Trump mused.
‘Why was former Marine Paul Whelan not included in this totally one-sided transaction? He was about to be taken out to ask questions. What a ‘stupid’ and unpatriotic shame for the USA!!!’
Former national security advisor John Bolton said a 1-for-1 prisoner swap was tantamount to ‘surrender.’
Trump’s national security adviser John Bolton said trade puts other Americans at risk of being held captive by rogue states for bargaining power.
“Obviously, there’s a lot of understandable human emotion here with the release of Griner, but it’s a terrible mistake by the Biden administration,” Bolton told CBS.
‘Terrorist and rogue states around the world will notice this, and it risks other Americans in the future who could be seized and used as bargaining chips by people who don’t have the same morals and scruples that we do.’
Bolton said the opportunity to surrender Bout in exchange for a US prisoner was presented during the Trump administration, but the trade was not made ‘for very good reasons.’
‘This is a huge victory for Moscow against Washington,’ Bolton said.
The most vocal critics questioned why WNBA star Griner, whose release was championed by celebrities, was released when ex-Marine Paul Whelan, who had been incarcerated for years, was not.
Biden insists he’s still trying to get Whelan fired.
Bout was convicted in 2011 of conspiracy to kill American citizens. Bout, 55, walked free Thursday, despite serving less than half of his 25-year sentence.
Prosecutors said Bout unwittingly agreed to sell antiaircraft weapons to Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) officials posing as arms buyers to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
The deal was brokered by Vladimir Putin with the help of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, just 48 hours after the US dropped a lawsuit holding him responsible for the killing of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
Whelan said from prison that he was ‘extremely disappointed’ the Biden administration did not do more to secure his release along with Griner and said he was ready to ‘go home’.
Republican leader Kevin McCarthy called it ‘unconscionable’ to leave Whelan.
‘Merchant of Death – that’s the prisoner’s nickname that Biden gave back to Putin. He was convicted of conspiracy to kill American law enforcement.
‘This is a gift to Vladimir Putin, and it is endangering American lives. Leaving Paul Whelan for this is unconscionable.’
Paul Whelan, a former US Marine accused of espionage and arrested in Russia, listens to his lawyers as he stands inside the defendant’s cage during a hearing in a Moscow court on January 22, 2019
Griner was arraigned in August this year after being found guilty
Brittney Griner shakes hands with a UAE official on the Abu Dhabi tarmac today as she is traded for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in a deal brokered by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
Bout, the war criminal, smiled as he made his way to the jet that was waiting for him
Biden celebrates with Griner’s wife Cherelle in the Oval Office after securing the WNBA star’s release from a Russian penal colony
Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican and former Air Force pilot, also cried foul.
‘So a basketball star came out, we can celebrate, but what about Paul Whelan? An American unjustly imprisoned for years,’ he tweeted.
‘Maybe not high profile but he is innocent. It is a dangerous road.’
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the Russian government remained unwilling to negotiate Whelan’s release.
‘While we celebrate Brittney’s release, Paul Whelan and his family continue to suffer needlessly. Despite our relentless efforts, the Russian government is not ready to end his wrongful imprisonment. I wish with all my heart that we could have brought Paul home today on the same plane with Brittney,’ she said in a statement.
