Biden faces pressure within administration over Griner release

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Media outlets reported that pressure is looming over US President Joe Biden from his own administration as a result of the prisoner swap between basketball player Brittney Griner from Russia and Russian businessman Viktor Bout.

The “intense and painstaking negotiations” that led to the prisoner swap were praised by Biden on Thursday but, according to a Washington Post report, the US Department of Justice held the belief that the prisoner swap was a mistake due to the large discrepancy of the charges between the two individuals. The Washington Post quoted one department official as saying that “trading a notorious international arms dealer for a basketball player is madness."

The White House denied last Thursday that Saudi Arabia had any involvement with the release of Griner, contradicting a joint statement issued earlier by the president of the UAE and the Saudi Crown Prince that they led mediation efforts to secure Griner's release.

"The only countries that negotiated this deal were the US and Russia," White House Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said when asked about Saudi Arabia's role. "There was no mediation involved."

'A gift to Vladimir Putin'

However, the case of prisoner Paul Whelan, a US marine veteran serving a 16-year sentence in Russia on espionage charges, has caused a stir and is labeled as being "forgotten". On that, Biden commented “we’ve not forgotten about Paul Whelan, who has been unjustly detained in Russia for years” as he threw blame at Russia for treating Whelan differently than Griner for “totally illegitimate reasons."

It was a one-for-one prisoner exchange as Russia released Griner for Bout, but they refused to release Whelan unless Vadim Krasikov, a former colonel, was also released from custody in Germany. CNN reported that Germany did not show the will to do so. The spy's brother David Whelan did state that the Biden administration's decision to secure Griner’s release was rightly made. 

“He was convicted of conspiring to kill American law enforcement,” soon-to-be House Speaker Kevin McCarthy commented as he expressed fear that Bout will go back to alleged arms dealing, adding, “His release is a gift to Vladimir Putin and a threat to American lives. Leaving Paul Whelan behind for this is unconscionable.”

Republicans have been seeking and using any excuse or mishap to attack Biden and his administration - and the case of Paul Whelan is one of them. 

Griner, who played for Russian side Yekaterinburg during the WNBA off-season, was arrested on February 17 in Russia for possession of cannabis-infused vape cartridges in her luggage. 

Since Cannabis oil is illegal in Russia, Griner was convicted of drug possession and trafficking. She was sentenced on August 4 to nine years behind bars and a fine of 1 million rubles ($16,576) after she pleaded guilty to the charges.