Russia freed WNBA star Brittney Griner on Thursday in a dramatic high-level prisoner exchange, with the U.S. releasing notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, the White House said. The swap, at a time of heightened tensions over Ukraine, achieved a top goal for President Joe Biden, but carried a heavy price — and left behind an American jailed for nearly four years in Russia.
“She’s safe, she’s on a plane, she’s on her way home,” Biden said from the White House, where he was accompanied by Griner’s wife, Cherelle, and administration officials.
The deal, the second such exchange in eight months with Russia, procured the release of the most prominent American detained abroad. Griner is a two-time Olympic gold medalist whose monthslong imprisonment on drug charges brought unprecedented attention to the population of wrongful detainees.
Biden’s authorization to release a Russian felon once nicknamed “the Merchant of Death” underscored the escalating pressure that his administration faced to get Griner home, particularly after the recent resolution of her criminal case and her subsequent transfer to a penal colony.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also confirmed the swap, saying in a statement carried by Russian news agencies that the exchange took place in Abu-Dhabi and that Bout has been flown home.
Russian and U.S. officials had conveyed cautious optimism in recent weeks after months of strained negotiations, with Biden saying in November that he was hopeful that Russia would engage in a deal now that the midterm elections were completed. A top Russian official said last week that a deal was possible before year’s end.
Even so, the fact that the deal was a one-for-one swap was a surprise given that U.S. officials had for months expressed their their determination to bring home both Griner and Paul Whelan, a Michigan corporate security executive jailed in Russia since December 2018 on espionage charges that his family and the U.S. government has said are baseless.
“We’ve not forgotten about Paul Whelan,” Biden said. “We will keep negotiating in good faith for Paul’s release.”
Whelan’s brother David said in a statement he was “so glad” for Griner’s release but also disappointed for his family. He credited the White House with giving the Whelan family advance notice and said he did not fault officials for making the deal.
“The Biden Administration made the right decision to bring Ms. Griner home, and to make the deal that was possible, rather than waiting for one that wasn’t going to happen,” he said.
In releasing Bout, the U.S. freed a a former Soviet Army lieutenant colonel whom the Justice Department once described as one of the world’s most prolific arms dealers. Bout, whose exploits inspired a Hollywood movie, was serving a 25-year sentence on charges that he conspired to sell tens of millions of dollars in weapons that U.S officials said were to be used against Americans.
(AP)
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17 Responses
The loony lefty liberal president does a deal to release a pot smoking lady basketball player while leaving behind a retired marine. What a sense of priorities! How low can a person go?
Silentmoishe…can’t top your request…….
So Brittany Grimer is coming home in exchange for an arms dealer who will go kill ppl.. brilliant policy, Biden! You think Trump would have ever made such a trade?? Also, I wonder,for the country that brings her home to safety, will she still be kneeling by the national anthem?
Thank G-d the man locked up isn’t a yid, then you wouldn’t be a priority at all.
a druggie toevanik gets released for a top Interpol guy nicknamed the merchant of death, only loonly leftists can approve of this sell out of America.
somehow, this “deal” feels more like a swindle than a bargain – trading a dangerous criminal for an athlete convicted of having medication in her luggage?
there’s something very wrong with this picture, especially if they couldn’t persuade the russians to include whelan. perhaps the white house should have ordered another 1,000 javelin missiles for ukraine, just as an incentive…
“where he was accompanied by Griner’s wife” ????
And Paul Whelan is still in jail. Let’s you know what the dnc priorities are.
All the Democrats care about is pandering to black and LGBT mushchasim.
Why would the tattooed lesbian want to return to such an evil racist country like the United States? Is kneeling by the National Anthem more important?!
Neither is of any use anymore to their country: an unemployable arms dealer versus a washed up basketball player. Russia is no longer in the business of selling weapons (they are now buyers not seller, and in any event, their weapons are currently the laughing stock of the world as it appears they are effective only when modified and used by Ukrainians). Griner is already at the end of her career, and the Russians gained nothing by holding her.
MESSAGE CLEAR!!
If you fight FOR the country – no one cares about you
If you desecrate the honor of the country and it’s heritage – we will do everything to save you
As if to remind people – could we have a deal-maker in the house?!
This lowlife Griner stated back in 2020 that The Star-Spangled Banner shouldn’t be sung during WNBA games and refused to be on the floor while it played.
Meanwhile, Paul Wheelan, a decent American and former Marine, languishes in a maximum-security Russian prison. Wheelan was imprisoned by Putin years ago on trumped-up espionage charges.
In the meantime, wait for lowlife Griner to raise the “black power” fist and make the rounds on the hate-America media circuit.
Paul Whelan is still in jail in Russia because he’s not black and he’s a he and not a She It.
She’s a pervert. Better not to speak of “her”.
nobody was talking about whelan before