Griner was arrested in Russia in February this year for allegedly possessing cannabis oil when she arrived in Moscow. A Russian court sentenced her to nine years in prison in August, and President Joe Biden has faced pressure for months to secure her release.
In order to free Griner, the U.S. agreed to exchange a notorious Russian arms dealer, Viktor Bout. Nicknamed the “Merchant of Death,” Bout received a 25-year sentence for conspiracy to kill U.S. citizens and officials, selling millions of dollars in weapons to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia and aiding a terrorist organization.
Some of the criticism for the deal has centered on Bout’s release, and the presumed security risks this could result in.
Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene asked on Twitter how many people Bout would “kill” now that he is free.
Additionally, some have suggested that the U.S. should have been able to use the Bout exchange to secure the release of additional Americans detained in Russia, such as former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, especially since Griner’s alleged crimes may seem pale in comparison to those of the Russian arms dealer.
“The Bout-for-Griner prisoner swap is not a trade, it’s an American surrender,” John Bolton, a former national security adviser in the Trump administration, tweeted. “This is not what American strength looks like. Terrorists and rogue states are smiling.”
During a press briefing on Thursday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre repeatedly stressed that President Joe Biden did not make his decision to swap Bout for Griner lightly.
“We will always stay vigilant about our national security,” Jean-Pierre said. “It’s something that the president will always do and we will act swiftly to protect it. That was true yesterday. That is true today. And that will be true after Mr. Bout’s release.”
She added that Biden believed the Griner-Bout swap was the right thing to do in order to bring the WNBA star home.
When asked to respond to those who believe the exchange was a bad deal for the U.S., Jean-Pierre replied: “Negotiations for release of wrongful detainees are often very difficult. That’s just a reality.”
In part, this is “because of the price that must be paid to bring Americans home to their loved ones” and “because immediate results can feel unfair or arbitrary,” she added.
Jean-Pierre also said multiple times during the briefing that the choice at hand wasn’t which American in Russia to bring home; it was to either bring Griner home or nobody at all.
She said that the U.S. remains committed to freeing Whelan, who is “being treated differently” than Griner, and other Americans who remain detained in other countries around the world.
“The Russians were not willing to negotiate in good faith for the release of Paul Whelan at this time…Now we’re going to continue to have those conversations and finding a way to bring him home,” Jean-Pierre said.
Newsweek reached out to the White House for further comment.
