Joe Biden, Sports World Happy About Brittney Griner’s Release, But a Lot of People Are Also Mad Over ‘Bad Deal’

United States President Joe Biden said that he was not making any apologies for releasing Russian prisoner Viktor Bout, nicknamed the 'Merchant of Death,' in exchange for Brittney Griner amid criticism of the exchange being a bad deal.

During a Thursday briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre defended Biden's deal to secure Griner's release. She said that the options that the government had were to either secure the Women's National Basketball Association star's freedom or no one's.

Brittney Griner's Release

However, despite the momentous occasion that the sports world is celebrating, critics argued that Bout remains a dangerous man and was considered to be too great of a prize to give to Russia.

One reporter asked Jean-Pierre about the president's message to law enforcement officials who may not be happy about the release of a man who had conspired to sell AK-47s that were planned to be used to kill Americans.

While acknowledging that the immediate results of the prisoner exchange can feel "unfair or arbitrary," she ultimately defended the White House's decision to swap Bout for Griner. The press secretary said that Biden felt a moral obligation to bring the basketball star home and was given an opportunity to do so, as per Fox News.

Furthermore, Jean-Pierre that the American government would continue to negotiate the release of U.S. Marine veteran Paul Whelan with Russian authorities. Whelan has been in Russian custody for four years and still has more than a decade remaining on his espionage sentence.

On the other hand, Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy later pressed the press secretary on why the deal seemed to have favored Russia instead of the United States. In response, Jean-Pierre said that they either got Briner home or no one at all.

According to Clutch Points, following Biden's announcement of Griner's release, the Phoenix Mercury, the WNBA star's team for all nine of her seasons, along with the Phoenix Suns, celebrated the American prisoner's release. They thanked Griner's friends and family, the Biden administration, government officials, and everyone who supported the athlete's release.

Americans Under Russian Custody

A US official said that the swap for Bout and Griner took place in the United Arab Emirates and was approved by Biden just last week. The Democratic president said that he had spoken with the WNBA star by phone from the Oval Office while he was joined by Griner's wife, Cherelle, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

The president said that he was glad to be able to tell the American people that Griner was in "good spirits." He added that she was looking forward to going home after being unlawfully detained in Russia for 10 months.

In a phone call on Thursday, Whelan said during an interview that he was happy that Griner was finally free. However, he added that he was also "greatly disappointed" that the American government was not able to do more to secure his own release, despite already being imprisoned in Russia for four years, CBS News reported.

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Joe Biden, WNBA