Donald Trump Blasts Biden Administration's Idea of Prisoner Swap with Russia Amid Brittney Griner's Case

Former president Donald Trump does not believe that trading the "Merchant of Death", an arms dealer, for Brittney Griner, a top player for the WNBA, is a "very good trade."

Additionally, Trump stated that Viktor Bout would receive a "free card" as a consequence of the proposed swap. It was previously widely reported that the Russian government demanded Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan as well as the release of Viktor Bout from US custody.

Brittney Griner Case

Griner was detained in February at the airport in Moscow when hash oil-containing vapes were discovered in her luggage. The gold medalist from the Olympics has plead guilty and may spend ten years in jail.

Whelan, a Marine Corps recruit and veteran of the Iraq War, was detained in Russia in 2018 and charged with spying. The ex-police officer and sheriff's deputy came to the nation to celebrate a fellow Marine veteran's wedding, as per Daily Mail.

He was given a 16-year jail term, some of which must be served in a work camp. While Bout was found guilty in 2011 of planning to kill Americans. He is presently incarcerated for 25 years.

The precise number of hashish oil vape cartridges that Griner is allegedly trying to smuggle into Russia has not been disclosed by Russian authorities. Her attorneys contend that she has a prescription for the medication and put it inadvertently in her luggage.

The primary psychoactive component of cannabis, THC, is present in high concentrations in hashish oil. In a recent interview with Fox News, Trump's former secretary of state Mike Pompeo echoed the former Apprentice host's views.

US Says Prisoner Swap Offer With Russia is "Unofficial"

Conservative firebrand Tomi Lahren, one of Trump's most ardent media fans, concurs with Pompeo. " Everyone knows President Trump would have negotiated Brittney Griner's release by now," Ohio GOP congressman Jim Jordan tweeted in June.

Trevor Reed, a US citizen who was set free by the Russian government in April 2022, made fun of this. "Yeah big thanks to President Trump for getting myself and Paul Whelan out. Not," Reed said in response to Jordan's post.

According to reports, the Kremlin wants to include another killer in the deal that would release Griner and Whelan. A recent CNN report claims that Russia wants to include hitman and convicted FSB agent Vadim Krasikov in the agreement.

Zelimkhan Khangoshvili, a Chechen spy, was assassinated by Krasikov in a Berlin park in 2019 during the day. This past December, Krasikov was given a life term in jail in Germany.

CNN reported that US authorities do not "consider it as a genuine counter" offer for Griner and Whelan's freedom because this request was made through an informal route. An official from the German government confirmed to CNN that US representatives have contacted their Berlin colleagues to inquire about the prospect of releasing Krasikov.