Posted on 12/10/22
| News Source: FOX News
A Friday report in the Washington Post noted U.S. Department of Justice officials viewed President Joe Biden’s prisoner swap of WNBA player Brittney Griner for dangerous Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout as a "mistake."
According to the outlet, people from America’s top law enforcement agencies have expressed concern that the "discrepancy of offenses by the two prisoners" meant that the deal was not a good one.
The Post detailed this gap in offenses, stating that Griner was detained for "possessing a small amount of cannabis oil. Bout, whose arms fueled conflicts from Sudan to Rwanda to Afghanistan to Angola, is nicknamed the ‘Merchant of Death,’ and his illicit transactions with violent regimes and militant groups earned him a 25-year sentence in federal prison."
Many in the media blasted the trade Friday, arguing that Biden should have received more hostages from Russia in return for such a dangerous prisoner. Some argued that Marine veteran Paul Whelan, who is still serving a sentence in Russia on espionage charges, should have been included in the deal.
As the Washington Post claimed Friday, top government officials feel the same way. The piece stated, "But the president also faced opposition from his own Justice Department, which viewed Thursday’s one-for-one prisoner swap involving Griner and the notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout as a mistake given the discrepancy of offenses by the two prisoners."