Brittney Griner is coming home. The women’s basketball superstar and US citizen has been detained by Russia on trumped-up drug charges since February 2022. But she will soon be reunited with her wife, friends, and family, because President Biden just announced that they’ve reached a deal to secure her release.
Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner.
She is safe.
She is on a plane.
She is on her way home. pic.twitter.com/FmHgfzrcDT— President Biden (@POTUS) December 8, 2022
Tune in as I deliver an important announcement. https://t.co/2BVdSsmIFA
— President Biden (@POTUS) December 8, 2022
As far as Griner is concerned, this is wonderful news. She was originally arrested at a Russian airport for allegedly having hashish oil cartridges, a THC product, and bizarrely sentenced to 9 years for this nothing-burger of a “crime.” It quickly became clear that she had really been imprisoned by Russia as a political pawn. Securing the freedom of a wrongfully imprisoned US citizen is always something we should fight like hell for.
But this deal is… not all good news.
In exchange for Griner’s freedom, the US is releasing arms dealer Viktor Bout, nicknamed the “merchant of death.” As CNN reports, “Bout, a former Soviet military officer, was serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States on charges of conspiring to kill Americans, acquire and export anti-aircraft missiles, and provide material support to a terrorist organization.”
So, this doesn’t exactly seem like a great trade. We’re releasing a dangerous criminal who conspired to kill Americans in exchange for a basketball player who never threatened Russia in any way.
There’s also the matter of US marine veteran Paul Whelan.
As Fox News reports, “Whelan has been in Russian custody since 2018 when he was sentenced to 16 years in prison on espionage charges.” However, the US maintains that these charges are baseless. Many were upset to see Griner freed but Whelan left behind. Some even went so far as to suggest that the Biden administration doesn’t care about Whelan because he isn’t a celebrity athlete and/or because he isn’t a black woman.
Brittney Griner being released in exchange for a convicted arms dealer.
What about Retired U.S. Marine Paul Whelan?
— Mayra Flores (@MayraFlores2022) December 8, 2022
Biden gave up a Russian arms dealer in exchange for an anti-American WNBA player, while leaving US Marine Paul Whelan to rot in a Russian prison. This is an abomination. Our country is run by incompetent scumbags.
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) December 8, 2022
If Paul Whelan was a basketball player he’d be free right now but he’s a former marine so it doesn’t matter that he’s been stuck in a Russian prison for years longer than Brittney Griner. Sad. The Biden admin should be ashamed leaving him.
— Robby Starbuck (@robbystarbuck) December 8, 2022
“We have not forgotten about Paul Whelan,” Biden said. “This was not a choice about which American to release. Russia is treating Paul’s case differently … we are not giving up.”
The backlash against Biden over the Whelan part of this seems rather unfair. He surely tried to release them both, but was only able to secure Griner’s release. That’s not an insult to Whelan, it’s a cause for partial celebration—which is exactly how Whelan’s family responded to the news.
And the reason for Whelan remaining imprisoned while Griner is freed is most certainly not apathy or indifference on the Biden administration’s part… it’s a reflection of the differing severity with which Russia views the prisoners. They surely never really cared about imprisoning Griner beyond her utility as a political pawn, after all, it was just over hashish oil.
In contrast, Whelan is imprisoned over espionage charges. Even if we believe these charges are unsubstantiated, they nonetheless mean Russia is surely much less willing to release him. That, not some nefarious indifference from Biden, is the most probable explanation for why one prisoner is being released but not the other.
Ultimately, we should all be happy to see Griner released. Yet the details of this deal are certainly worthy of further scrutiny.
Like this article? Check out the latest BASEDPolitics podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or below:
