Brittney Griner

[scgal]

Dec 9, 2022 13:26:00 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Dec 9, 2022 12:55:23 GMT -5 scgal said:

I'm not saying the punishment fit the crime. I'm sure she was being used as a tool. You can't compare her to someone who didn't break any laws either. 

What about the American woman who did kill someone but we removed her before charged and refused extradition? She was tried (remotely) but jail time was a joke - we had already refused to return her.

Not the same thing as much as I don't like diplomatic immunity she was protected by it. 

[pulmonarymd]

Dec 9, 2022 14:01:25 GMT -5 scgal said:

Dec 9, 2022 13:18:50 GMT -5 pulmonarymd said:

No, you just think she should have to suffer another year in prison before we got her out. What is a year in someone's life?

Do you think someone taken hostage in a place known to be hostile to Americans deserves some of the blame? Or should we try to get them out as soon as we can?

No she was already sentenced obviously this administration failed in the early on before sentencing. Since she was sentenced and thru negoations knowing what they wanted they could have used time as a leverage she was alreaded sentenced she should be grateful for anything earlier than the 9 years. To me 30 days would for a sentence would have been severe enough

If you could have done better, what would you have done to get her home?

You believe we should have just let time go by. In the interim, if she died, like the UVa student in N korea did, it would have just been collateral damage? Did you have the same opinion in regards to him? He did something stupid and illegal, and died as a result. I bet you thought we should have done more to get him home.

As I said, a no win situation. You are criticized regardless of what you do.

[scgal]

Dec 9, 2022 14:45:09 GMT -5 pulmonarymd said:

Dec 9, 2022 14:01:25 GMT -5 scgal said:

No she was already sentenced obviously this administration failed in the early on before sentencing. Since she was sentenced and thru negoations knowing what they wanted they could have used time as a leverage she was alreaded sentenced she should be grateful for anything earlier than the 9 years. To me 30 days would for a sentence would have been severe enough

If you could have done better, what would you have done to get her home?

You believe we should have just let time go by. In the interim, if she died, like the UVa student in N korea did, it would have just been collateral damage? Did you have the same opinion in regards to him? He did something stupid and illegal, and died as a result. I bet you thought we should have done more to get him home.

As I said, a no win situation. You are criticized regardless of what you do.

It is hard to say I don't know what was tried before hand. The case of Otto with N korea that was very sad he was tortured. I don't recall did the US trade anything for him? You are correct there is going to be criticism no matter what.

[pulmonarymd]

Dec 9, 2022 15:01:06 GMT -5 scgal said:

Dec 9, 2022 14:45:09 GMT -5 pulmonarymd said:

If you could have done better, what would you have done to get her home?

You believe we should have just let time go by. In the interim, if she died, like the UVa student in N korea did, it would have just been collateral damage? Did you have the same opinion in regards to him? He did something stupid and illegal, and died as a result. I bet you thought we should have done more to get him home.

As I said, a no win situation. You are criticized regardless of what you do.

It is hard to say I don't know what was tried before hand. The case of Otto with N korea that was very sad he was tortured. I don't recall did the US trade anything for him? You are correct there is going to be criticism no matter what.

yet you said Biden didn't do enough. If you don't know what they did, you have no idea if that is true. So, it appears you were wrong.

[djAdvocate]

Dec 9, 2022 10:21:13 GMT -5 daisylu said:

I can't wrap my head around how any woman in the US does not feel oppressed.  Stockholm syndrome?  

i work for a women's help center.  something like 96% of women in the US have experienced some sort of harassment.  the statistics are incredibly bad.

[scgal]

Dec 9, 2022 15:17:52 GMT -5 pulmonarymd said:

Dec 9, 2022 15:01:06 GMT -5 scgal said:

It is hard to say I don't know what was tried before hand. The case of Otto with N korea that was very sad he was tortured. I don't recall did the US trade anything for him? You are correct there is going to be criticism no matter what.

yet you said Biden didn't do enough. If you don't know what they did, you have no idea if that is true. So, it appears you were wrong.

Didn't do enough as in the outcome is not favorable. Trading a real criminal for Griner is stupid. He should have gotten her released for nothing. As far as my criticism goes another Dem failure.

[djAdvocate]

Dec 9, 2022 10:55:50 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

I didn't believe in male privilege until I saw the change in how I was treated just by saying "I need to discuss with my husband" vs "I need to discuss with my partner ". No one ever questioned the former, but would push like crazy when I said the latter.

When dh transitioned his boss took him out to dinner, said I treat men differently, gave dh a raise, and suddenly dh was in the inside circle with the bosses ear. Transitioning didn't make him a better employee.

All of that is as a white presenting people. I don't understand how people can ignore/disregard minorities verbal reports of discrimination and almost more damning ignore the data proving repeated discrimination. But if they don't see it/believe it must not be true.

this is why Iran leads the world in sex change operations per capita.

[scgal]

Dec 9, 2022 15:24:34 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Dec 9, 2022 10:21:13 GMT -5 daisylu said:

I can't wrap my head around how any woman in the US does not feel oppressed.  Stockholm syndrome?  

i work for a women's help center.  something like 96% of women in the US have experienced some sort of harassment.  the statistics are incredibly bad.

I work with women victims too. Beaten, raped, mental torture sad to say there is not much I haven't seen but i'm sure some sicko will prove me wrong. Violence and oppression are not the same thing. I was violated myself I still don't think I'm oppressed it was an act of violence I don't even consider it harrassment.

[pulmonarymd]

Dec 9, 2022 15:28:00 GMT -5 scgal said:

Dec 9, 2022 15:17:52 GMT -5 pulmonarymd said:

yet you said Biden didn't do enough. If you don't know what they did, you have no idea if that is true. So, it appears you were wrong.

Didn't do enough as in the outcome is not favorable. Trading a real criminal for Griner is stupid. He should have gotten her released for nothing. As far as my criticism goes another Dem failure.

You realize Russia and Putin had a say in this. Waiting for them to agree to doing it for nothing in return condemned her to being in a Russian camp until that happened. At some risk to her. But sure, Biden could have just snapped his fingers and gotten her home.

You wonder why people criticize you. It is nonsense like this that makes people not take you seriously. Biden could not force Putin to return her. Putin had to agree. But somehow that makes this a democratic failure

[djAdvocate]

Dec 9, 2022 15:32:15 GMT -5 scgal said:

Dec 9, 2022 15:24:34 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

i work for a women's help center.  something like 96% of women in the US have experienced some sort of harassment.  the statistics are incredibly bad.

I work with women victims too. Beaten, raped, mental torture sad to say there is not much I haven't seen but i'm sure some sicko will prove me wrong. Violence and oppression are not the same thing. I was violated myself I still don't think I'm oppressed it was an act of violence I don't even consider it harrassment.

that's a good attitude, but some women (i would argue MANY) are SHAPED by their trauma.
they carry keys between their fingers on the way to the car.
they don't go out alone.  anywhere.  particularly at night.
i basically know ZERO men that think that way.

[scgal]

Dec 9, 2022 15:42:17 GMT -5 pulmonarymd said:

Dec 9, 2022 15:28:00 GMT -5 scgal said:

Didn't do enough as in the outcome is not favorable. Trading a real criminal for Griner is stupid. He should have gotten her released for nothing. As far as my criticism goes another Dem failure.

You realize Russia and Putin had a say in this. Waiting for them to agree to doing it for nothing in return condemned her to being in a Russian camp until that happened. At some risk to her. But sure, Biden could have just snapped his fingers and gotten her home.

You wonder why people criticize you. It is nonsense like this that makes people not take you seriously. Biden could not force Putin to return her. Putin had to agree. But somehow that makes this a democratic failure

I really don't care about anyone's opinion of me. I won't sit here and be a mouthpiece and agree just to agree and be afraid to be ridiculed. Sure Putin had a say but if this is the best outcome then it is a failure just like when Obama traded 5 terrorist for Bergdahl.

[tallguy]

Dec 9, 2022 15:28:00 GMT -5 scgal said:

Dec 9, 2022 15:17:52 GMT -5 pulmonarymd said:

yet you said Biden didn't do enough. If you don't know what they did, you have no idea if that is true. So, it appears you were wrong.

Didn't do enough as in the outcome is not favorable. Trading a real criminal for Griner is stupid. He should have gotten her released for nothing. As far as my criticism goes another Dem failure.

The Russians were not going to release Whelan too. They reportedly wanted a Russian spy to be released in return for him, but according to the Biden administration we are not holding any Russian spies so had nothing sufficient to trade.  It is also true that the Republicans blasting Biden for not getting Whelan back are ignoring that Trump apparently didn't even make an attempt for two years. 

Do you know who DOES release prisoners for nothing?  Donald Trump.  Even worse, he went against the Afghani government and "negotiated" the release of 5000 Taliban prisoners (who we were not even holding) to go back to the fighting. The number of Americans who benefitted from that trade?  Zero.  Biden on his worst day is a million times better than Trump on his best.  And as long as Republicans resist totally renouncing virtually everything Trump, they have zero legitimacy as an American institution.  Their list of failures is many times longer than that of Democrats.  

[scgal]

Dec 9, 2022 15:49:12 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Dec 9, 2022 15:32:15 GMT -5 scgal said:

I work with women victims too. Beaten, raped, mental torture sad to say there is not much I haven't seen but i'm sure some sicko will prove me wrong. Violence and oppression are not the same thing. I was violated myself I still don't think I'm oppressed it was an act of violence I don't even consider it harrassment.

that's a good attitude, but some women (i would argue MANY) are SHAPED by their trauma.
they carry keys between their fingers on the way to the car.
they don't go out alone.  anywhere.  particularly at night.
i basically know ZERO men that think that way.

I get that hell I carry a gun sometimes 2. That doesn't mean I feel harassed or oppressed. That means there are criminals out there and given the opportunity they will do harm it is in ones best interest to protect yourself. I had to go to therapy and get my mind straight I'm not scared i'm mad as hell not just at the assailant but at myself for not being able to protect myself. It doesn't matter if your a man or a woman you can be put into a bad situation in a moments noticed I'd rather be prepared.

[pulmonarymd]

Dec 9, 2022 15:58:21 GMT -5 scgal said:

Dec 9, 2022 15:42:17 GMT -5 pulmonarymd said:

You realize Russia and Putin had a say in this. Waiting for them to agree to doing it for nothing in return condemned her to being in a Russian camp until that happened. At some risk to her. But sure, Biden could have just snapped his fingers and gotten her home.

You wonder why people criticize you. It is nonsense like this that makes people not take you seriously. Biden could not force Putin to return her. Putin had to agree. But somehow that makes this a democratic failure

I really don't care about anyone's opinion of me. I won't sit here and be a mouthpiece and agree just to agree and be afraid to be ridiculed. Sure Putin had a say but if this is the best outcome then it is a failure just like when Obama traded 5 terrorist for Bergdahl.

So just leave her there? That is your solution. Putin would not release her for nothing despite your belief to the contrary. You have not indicated what you would have done to get her back, other than wait for her to be released. If she dies, she dies. No skin off your nose. Just like other bad situations, you believe it "sucks to be you." You should have planned better.

There was no good alternative. All choices sucked. But saying he failed when all choices were bad is ridiculous

[djAdvocate]

Dec 9, 2022 16:04:56 GMT -5 scgal said:

Dec 9, 2022 15:49:12 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

that's a good attitude, but some women (i would argue MANY) are SHAPED by their trauma.
they carry keys between their fingers on the way to the car.
they don't go out alone.  anywhere.  particularly at night.
i basically know ZERO men that think that way.

I get that hell I carry a gun sometimes 2. That doesn't mean I feel harassed or oppressed. That means there are criminals out there and given the opportunity they will do harm it is in ones best interest to protect yourself. I had to go to therapy and get my mind straight I'm not scared i'm mad as hell not just at the assailant but at myself for not being able to protect myself. It doesn't matter if your a man or a woman you can be put into a bad situation in a moments noticed I'd rather be prepared.

didn't you read the first four words?  i said that was good attitude, scgal.

PS- i would not advise a traumatized person to carry a gun.  jmho.  i would advise them to get treated for their trauma FIRST.

[scgal]

Dec 9, 2022 15:58:55 GMT -5 tallguy said:

Dec 9, 2022 15:28:00 GMT -5 scgal said:

Didn't do enough as in the outcome is not favorable. Trading a real criminal for Griner is stupid. He should have gotten her released for nothing. As far as my criticism goes another Dem failure.

The Russians were not going to release Whelan too. They reportedly wanted a Russian spy to be released in return for him, but according to the Biden administration we are not holding any Russian spies so had nothing sufficient to trade.  It is also true that the Republicans blasting Biden for not getting Whelan back are ignoring that Trump apparently didn't even make an attempt for two years. 

Do you know who DOES release prisoners for nothing?  Donald Trump.  Even worse, he went against the Afghani government and "negotiated" the release of 5000 Taliban prisoners (who we were not even holding) to go back to the fighting. The number of Americans who benefitted from that trade?  Zero.  Biden on his worst day is a million times better than Trump on his best.  And as long as Republicans resist totally renouncing virtually everything Trump, they have zero legitimacy as an American institution.  Their list of failures is many times longer than that of Democrats.  

Trump has failures as far as leadership the last two dems doesn't even come close to him they are real failures. I can recognise Trumps flaws most obama supporters cannot get their lips off his ass to see his failures

[scgal]

Dec 9, 2022 16:13:31 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Dec 9, 2022 16:04:56 GMT -5 scgal said:

I get that hell I carry a gun sometimes 2. That doesn't mean I feel harassed or oppressed. That means there are criminals out there and given the opportunity they will do harm it is in ones best interest to protect yourself. I had to go to therapy and get my mind straight I'm not scared i'm mad as hell not just at the assailant but at myself for not being able to protect myself. It doesn't matter if your a man or a woman you can be put into a bad situation in a moments noticed I'd rather be prepared.

didn't you read the first four words?  i said that was good attitude, scgal.

PS- i would not advise a traumatized person to carry a gun.  jmho.  i would advise them to get treated for their trauma FIRST.

You're right. Yes one should get treatment before owning or handling a gun and i'm defiently not advocating that an attack victim should go out and start to carry there is a tremendous amount of responsibility to carrying a weapon. It wasn't like I just started carrying. I was always around guns but didn't start to carry for a period after my attack. 

We should probably leave this here getting way off subject

[djAdvocate]

Dec 9, 2022 16:17:42 GMT -5 scgal said:

Dec 9, 2022 15:58:55 GMT -5 tallguy said:

The Russians were not going to release Whelan too. They reportedly wanted a Russian spy to be released in return for him, but according to the Biden administration we are not holding any Russian spies so had nothing sufficient to trade.  It is also true that the Republicans blasting Biden for not getting Whelan back are ignoring that Trump apparently didn't even make an attempt for two years. 

Do you know who DOES release prisoners for nothing?  Donald Trump.  Even worse, he went against the Afghani government and "negotiated" the release of 5000 Taliban prisoners (who we were not even holding) to go back to the fighting. The number of Americans who benefitted from that trade?  Zero.  Biden on his worst day is a million times better than Trump on his best.  And as long as Republicans resist totally renouncing virtually everything Trump, they have zero legitimacy as an American institution.  Their list of failures is many times longer than that of Democrats.  

Trump has failures as far as leadership the last two dems doesn't even come close to him they are real failures. I can recognise Trumps flaws most obama supporters cannot get their lips off his ass to see his failures

i can.

Obama was as much of a warhorse as any of the Republicans.  in fact, his war record was in many ways worse than anyone before or after him in the last three decades, except Bush.  he is guilty of wars of aggression, and judged by the standards of the Hague, he should face the gallows.

also, he paid lip service to Supply Side economics well after the time that it was debunked:

home.treasury.gov/system/files/131/WP-81.pdf

in addition, he was a Republican appeaser.  the GOP was against literally BEFORE he entered office.  he should have known that.  or maybe he did know that, and he just thought appeasing them was the right thing to do.  it wasn't:

www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/post-partisan/post/republicans-had-it-in-for-obama-before-day-1/2012/08/10/0c96c7c8-e31f-11e1-ae7f-d2a13e249eb2_blog.html

he failed to close GITMO.

let's see, what else?  there was at least one other thing.

of course, i was a Republican back then.

having said all of that, Obama is a top quartile president, and Trump is a bottom quartile president.  and i am being generous with the latter.  he is a bottom DECILE president.

[chiver78]

Dec 9, 2022 15:42:17 GMT -5 pulmonarymd said:

Dec 9, 2022 15:28:00 GMT -5 scgal said:

Didn't do enough as in the outcome is not favorable. Trading a real criminal for Griner is stupid. He should have gotten her released for nothing. As far as my criticism goes another Dem failure.

You realize Russia and Putin had a say in this. Waiting for them to agree to doing it for nothing in return condemned her to being in a Russian camp until that happened. At some risk to her. But sure, Biden could have just snapped his fingers and gotten her home.

You wonder why people criticize you. It is nonsense like this that makes people not take you seriously. Biden could not force Putin to return her. Putin had to agree. But somehow that makes this a democratic failure

quoting so it gets posted again. 

[pulmonarymd]

Dec 9, 2022 16:17:42 GMT -5 scgal said:

Dec 9, 2022 15:58:55 GMT -5 tallguy said:

The Russians were not going to release Whelan too. They reportedly wanted a Russian spy to be released in return for him, but according to the Biden administration we are not holding any Russian spies so had nothing sufficient to trade.  It is also true that the Republicans blasting Biden for not getting Whelan back are ignoring that Trump apparently didn't even make an attempt for two years. 

Do you know who DOES release prisoners for nothing?  Donald Trump.  Even worse, he went against the Afghani government and "negotiated" the release of 5000 Taliban prisoners (who we were not even holding) to go back to the fighting. The number of Americans who benefitted from that trade?  Zero.  Biden on his worst day is a million times better than Trump on his best.  And as long as Republicans resist totally renouncing virtually everything Trump, they have zero legitimacy as an American institution.  Their list of failures is many times longer than that of Democrats.  

Trump has failures as far as leadership the last two dems doesn't even come close to him they are real failures. I can recognise Trumps flaws most obama supporters cannot get their lips off his ass to see his failures

Yeah, whats a little insurrection among friends. I am sure you agree that we should suspend the constitution an install Trump as president.

The idea that you think Trump is better than anyone is so ridiculous that it makes me question your intelligence. All you constitution worshiping conservatives all have nothing to say about his remarks, defend him, or say he didn't mean it.

[weltschmerz]

Dec 9, 2022 15:24:34 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Dec 9, 2022 10:21:13 GMT -5 daisylu said:

I can't wrap my head around how any woman in the US does not feel oppressed.  Stockholm syndrome?  

i work for a women's help center.  something like 96% of women in the US have experienced some sort of harassment.  the statistics are incredibly bad.

Frankly, I'm surprised it's not higher.

[tallguy]

Dec 9, 2022 16:17:42 GMT -5 scgal said:

Dec 9, 2022 15:58:55 GMT -5 tallguy said:

The Russians were not going to release Whelan too. They reportedly wanted a Russian spy to be released in return for him, but according to the Biden administration we are not holding any Russian spies so had nothing sufficient to trade.  It is also true that the Republicans blasting Biden for not getting Whelan back are ignoring that Trump apparently didn't even make an attempt for two years. 

Do you know who DOES release prisoners for nothing?  Donald Trump.  Even worse, he went against the Afghani government and "negotiated" the release of 5000 Taliban prisoners (who we were not even holding) to go back to the fighting. The number of Americans who benefitted from that trade?  Zero.  Biden on his worst day is a million times better than Trump on his best.  And as long as Republicans resist totally renouncing virtually everything Trump, they have zero legitimacy as an American institution.  Their list of failures is many times longer than that of Democrats.  

Trump has failures as far as leadership the last two dems doesn't even come close to him they are real failures. I can recognise Trumps flaws most obama supporters cannot get their lips off his ass to see his failures

Donald Trump is the worst and most corrupt president in American history and the only one to actively try to overthrow democracy here.  But please, go ahead and detail Obama's failures for us.  I'm sure we would be entertained by seeing what you consider to be "failure."


Be advised also that for pretty much everything you try and list, there will be a dozen posters here who can and will give you chapter and verse on why what you say is inaccurate and will tell you what the truth (free of partisan bullsh**) actually is. 

[weltschmerz]

Well, like it or not....Brittney will go from being a relatively unknown name to being famous, a big C celebrity, doing the talk show circuit and having million dollar book deals. Not too shabby for less than a year in prison.

[weltschmerz]

Dec 9, 2022 16:33:53 GMT -5 tallguy said:

Dec 9, 2022 16:17:42 GMT -5 scgal said:

Trump has failures as far as leadership the last two dems doesn't even come close to him they are real failures. I can recognise Trumps flaws most obama supporters cannot get their lips off his ass to see his failures

Donald Trump is the worst and most corrupt president in American history and the only one to actively try to overthrow democracy here.  But please, go ahead and detail Obama's failures for us.  I'm sure we would be entertained by seeing what you consider to be "failure."


Be advised also that for pretty much everything you try and list, there will be a dozen posters here who can and will give you chapter and verse on why what you say is inaccurate and will tell you what the truth (free of partisan bullsh**) actually is. 

Oooh, I'll help, and I'm not even American.

[djAdvocate]

oh yeah.  i remember.  

Obama failed to get the language in the PATRIOT Act stricken which bars indefinite detention, which goes against ArtI.S9.C2.1 of the constitution, made him the 3rd president since the constitution was ratified to undermine the great writ.

Trump was the 4th.  and he added immigrants to the issue.

[weltschmerz]

And the price of being released in these cases is quite high. Griner was released in exchange for Bout, who is arguably not only the world’s most infamous arms dealer, but who no doubt will be quite useful to Russian President Vladimir Putin in acquiring weapons on the international arms market for Russia’s war in Ukraine.

www.cnn.com/2022/12/08/opinions/detained-americans-cost-brittney-griner-release-bergen/index.html

You are all very far removed from a war on the other side of the planet, but this is my family and my people. This is why this prisoner exchange is breaking my heart.
Bout's weapons will slaughter my people. I still remember sitting around the bonfires in Berestovenka, eating sunflower seeds, drinking vodka and joining in with the women in singing 6 part harmony. Crying while hugging my uncle, knowing I'd probably never see him again.  Laughing with my grandfather as he tried to teach me how to sew, and he ended up sewing my dress to his wooden laeg and dissolving in gales of laughter. The endless fields of sunflowers.....
I'm crying as I'm writing this.
Fuck.

[pulmonarymd]

So you would have said no and left her there?

[weltschmerz]

Dec 9, 2022 17:38:47 GMT -5 pulmonarymd said:

So you would have said no and left her there?

I don't know.  I already answered that. I don't know.

[pulmonarymd]

That' why you elect leaders. They need to make unpopular and difficult decisions, many of which have no good option. Someone is going to be hurt in this situation, regardless of how you decide.

We know that Griner will suffer and be hurt if we leave her there
We worry that who we release will go back to doing what he did before, potentially harming thousands
Doing this exchange could encourage similar sort of situations in the future

How you weigh these variables will determine where you come down on this decision. But, Biden had to make a decision, and there was no risk free option. Hence the discomfit.

[Tennesseer]

Dec 9, 2022 1:38:02 GMT -5 ripvanwinkle said:

I'm mixed on this. I'm glad a she's is back home but but they still have another American citizen in jail. Would the administration have made the deal with the Russians if she was just a plain straight white female and not a black lesbian basketball player?

There are many Americans in jails around the world and we don't hear about them. I'm sure behind the scenes the State dept is working for their release but Grainer was found .702 grams of cannabis oil in her luggage. Did she think it was no big deal? And besides I'm a American! They will just release me. News flash. The Constitution and Bill of Rghts does not save you in foreign countries.

I think the State Dept folded their hand too soon.  

Hey Rip and scgal too - Trump had the opportunity to trade Viktor Bout for Paul Whelan when he was President but wasn't interested.

Trump turned down Viktor Bout-for-Paul Whelan prisoner swap, John Bolton says

WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump shot down Russian attempts to trade former Marine Paul Whelan for “Merchant of Death” arms dealer Viktor Bout, former national security adviser John Bolton said Thursday — as Trump ripped his successor for agreeing to send Bout home in exchange for the return of WNBA star Brittney Griner.

Bolton recalled in an interview with CBS that he was in the midst of his 17-month tenure at the White House when Whelan was detained on concocted espionage charges in December 2018.

“The possibility of a Bout-for-Whelan trade existed back then,” said Bolton, 74, “and it wasn’t made, for very good reasons having to deal with Viktor Bout.”

Whelan was sentenced in June 2020 to 16 years in prison. US officials claimed Thursday that the Biden administration tried to secure the release of both Whelan and Griner, but Moscow refused to budge — insisting on a one-for-one swap of Griner for Bout.

“Obviously, there’s a lot of very understandable human emotion here in getting Griner released, but this is a very bad mistake by the Biden administration,” Bolton told CBS of the decision to swap Bout — convicted in 2011 of conspiracy to kill Americans by supplying a Columbian terrorist group with weapons — in exchange for a basketball player jailed for bringing less than a gram of cannabis oil into Russia.

Trump turned down Viktor Bout-for-Paul Whelan prisoner swap, John Bolton says