We reported earlier that the Biden team made an agreement to free Brittany Griner, a basketball player, from a Russian prison for a conviction on pot. She is now in the custody United States.
We gave up so that she could be released. Viktor Bout is a notorious terrorist who was convicted and sentenced to death.
DOJ press release on 2011 conviction of Viktor Bout: “Bout was convicted of conspiring to kill U.S. nationals; conspiring to kill U.S. officers & employees; conspiring to acquire & use anti-aircraft missiles; + conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist org…” pic.twitter.com/uFK3aJEpge
— Jerry Christmas 🎅🏼🎄 (@JerryDunleavy) December 8, 2022
Viktor Bout:
The arms dealer that inspired Nicholas Cage’s character in Lord of War.
Was currently serving a sentence 16 years longer than Griner
Illegally supplied weapons estimated to have killed *hundreds of thousands* of Africans https://t.co/LUI2osvD95
— Joe Colangelo (@Itsjoeco) December 8, 2022
Many were skeptical about the apparent unfairness of the deal. Biden was forced to give up someone who could be a major danger in the future. Paul Whelan, a Marine who had been held for much longer than Biden, was also not included in the deal.
Once again, I agree with Rep. Adam Kinzinger, (R-IL), who will soon be out of a job on January 31 and likely on his way to becoming an irrelevant commentator for CNN or MSNBC.
What about retired marine who has been unjustly detained for years, Paul Whelan? Surely an arms dealer is worth two innocent people? @POTUS
— Adam Kinzinger #fella (@AdamKinzinger) December 8, 2022
So a basketball star is released, we can celebrate, but what about Paul Whelan? An American unjustly detained for years. May not be high profile but he is innocent.
This is a dangerous road.
— Adam Kinzinger #fella (@AdamKinzinger) December 8, 2022
This letter from Paul Whelan was sent to me EXACTLY 3 years ago. https://t.co/TAnrA6yovG
— Adam Kinzinger #fella (@AdamKinzinger) December 8, 2022
It’s dangerous to trade away terrorists for people with shorter sentences for pot convictions. This raises questions about why terrorists are not traded with and how it can be dangerous for Americans in the future. It is incredibly disappointing that he is not the priority. In that letter to Kinzinger, you can see the courage he displays. Lefortovo prison can be no picnic.
Randi Weingarten, the head of the NEA, will focus on the priorities.
What a great relief!!! Extraordinary news, a basketball star, but also a gay, black woman is released. And yes of course we want other prisoners like Paul Whelan released.
— Randi Weingarten 🇺🇦🇺🇸💪🏿👩🎓 (@rweingarten) December 8, 2022
Why does she mention these categories? We care about Americans and not about categories. These categories seem to be more important than the “Marine” category.
Biden made some comments about the trade but did not answer any questions. Biden claimed that Whelan was not part of the Russian deal.
“We have not forgotten Paul Whelan. Biden stated that this was not about choosing which American to release. “Russia is treating Paul differently… We are not giving up!”
Translation: He had a weak hand, but this is a weakness. You just gave away one of the most valuable bargaining chips that you could find. How will you get him out? You are basically admitting that you have thrown your hands in with Whelan even though they claim they are still trying.
Another thought: Trump makes better deals.
Trump got North Korea to release three American hostages as a goodwill gesture, for nothing in exchange.
Putin convinced Biden to let him keep a former Marine behind bars, so that he could get a WNBA player back, in exchange for an international arms dealer.
— Jordan Schachtel @ dossier.substack.com (@JordanSchachtel) December 8, 2022
