Republicans Slam Biden’s Deal To Free Brittney Griner As Paul Whelan Stays In Russia

Topline

President Joe Biden on Thursday celebrated the release of American basketball player Brittney Griner from Russian custody as an accomplishment “we’ve worked for for a long time,” but several top Republicans blasted the terms of the deal—especially the decision to hand a convicted arms dealer nicknamed the “Merchant of Death” over to Russia in exchange.

Key Facts

Former President Donald Trump labeled the deal “one-sided,” calling it a “stupid and unpatriotic embarrassment for the USA” since the Biden Administration wasn’t able to secure the release of Paul Whelan, a former Marine who’s been in Russian custody since 2018 on allegations of spying—accusations which the U.S. and Whelan deny.

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was the top GOP lawmaker to criticize the deal, calling it a “gift to Vladimir Putin” and saying it is “unconscionable” Whelan wasn’t involved.

Predictable firebrand Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) appeared to have the most extreme response, saying the release of arms dealer Viktor Bout amounts to “another reason to impeach Biden.”

Senators Rick Scott (R-Fla.) and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) both welcomed Griner’s release, but Scott called it “weak & disgusting” for the U.S. to exchange Bout, while Graham said, “It is a bitter pill to swallow that Mr. Whelan remains in custody while we release the ‘Merchant of Death’ Viktor Bout back to Russia.”

Representative Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.)—who frequently clashes with his GOP colleagues as one of two Republicans serving on the House January 6 committee—tweeted the Biden Administration showed “weakness” by failing to secure Whelan’s release.

Tangent

Whelan told CNN on Thursday he is happy for Griner but “greatly disappointed that more has not been done to secure my release.” His family said in a statement the Biden Administration “made the right decision” to get Griner out of Russia but they are still “devastated” Whelan wasn’t able to be included in the deal.

Contra

Biden said at a briefing Thursday, “We have not forgotten about Paul Whelan,” asserting it was “not a choice of which American to bring home.” Whelan was not able to be included in the deal because Russians are treating his case “differently” for “illegitimate reasons,” according to Biden.

Key Background

Griner, who is widely considered one of the best women’s basketball players in the world, was arrested on February 17 at a Moscow airport—just a week before Russian forces invaded Ukraine. Russian authorities said Griner was carrying cannabis in her luggage, which is illegal in Russia. She was sentenced in August to nine years in a penal colony following a trial U.S. authorities said was a sham. Forbes first reported in May that U.S. officials had discussed sending Bout back to Russia in exchange for Griner, and the Biden Administration later reportedly proposed trading Bout for both Griner and Whelan. Bout was sentenced to 25 years in prison in 2012 after being convicted of plotting to kill Americans and conspiring to sell millions of dollars’ worth of weapons to a Colombian terror group, among other crimes. Then U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara called Bout “international arms trafficking enemy number one” in 2012.

Further Reading

Brittney Griner Freed From Russian Detention In Swap For ‘Merchant Of Death’ (Forbes)

Viktor Bout: Here’s What To Know About Russia’s ‘Merchant Of War’ And Why He Was The Prisoner Exchanged For Brittney Griner (Forbes)