Posted on 12/09/2022 2:37:45 AM PST by Libloather
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has defended the Biden administration for exchanging notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout for WNBA star Brittney Griner in a deal brokered by Saudi Arabia that left Marine veteran Paul Whelan languishing in a Russian jail.
In one of her last press conferences as Speaker of the House, Pelosi suggested that the White House had no other choice. The administration faces criticism for swapping the WNBA star for the former KGB agent who tried to arm the Taliban and al Qaeda.
Griner has been detained by Moscow since February on marijuana-linked drug charges, and was recently sentenced to nine years of grueling labor in a Russian penal colony.
Bout, 55, was snared by the DEA in a devilishly complicated sting operation in 2008 in which he thought he was selling arms to the FARC - Colombian rebels - to shoot down US passenger jets. He was the inspiration for the lead character played by Nicholas Cage in Lord of War.
The Biden administration had been under intense public pressure to get the celebrity basketball player out, against the backdrop of the worst diplomatic relations between the White House and the Kremlin since the Cold War.
Pelosi suggested at her weekly press conference that Bout, once nicknamed the 'merchant of death,' was the administration's only 'leverage' to free her.
Biden has been put under scrutiny for his failure to secure the release of Whelan and other Americans including Marc Fogel.
The criticism was compounded by anger over Bout's return to Moscow authorities. Republicans have attacked Biden for what they call a one-sided deal that has the potential of emboldening Vladimir Putin.
(Excerpt) Read more at dailymail.co.uk ...
Mark Fogel, a Buffalo, NY teacher, was sentenced to a 14-year prison term in Russia in April for drug smuggling after he was caught entering the country with medical marijuana, he says was prescribed to him after back surgery. He’s still there. Apparently, white privilege doesn’t work when it comes to hostage exchanges
They set an international weapons dealer free but want to take your guns.
Pi$$ on this lousy Red Chinese loving, gift giving to the dictator of Red China, for gifts of cash, cash, cash to throw away the US Constitution so the Red Communist Chinese buy up our farmlands, our ports, our power grids, and our debt. If they call that debt due, we will destroy the finances of the entire globe through bankruptcy. Stupid b*t(h. Here citizenship should be pulled, and she should be sent back to her homeland. RED CHINA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
..swapping the US hating, tattooed, lesbian dope smoker who represents the best of our citizens..
the former KGB agent who tried to arm the Taliban and al Qaeda.
..the agent TRIED to arm the terrorists, while China Joe Potato Head Biden massively succeeded in arming them with
$87 Billion in arms and munitions.
Tucker stated on his show last night that this statement was BS. Andera Mitchell of NBC News reported yesterday morning that they had a choice between getting Griner OR the former Marine. Then when the White House came out with their announcement they changed their story. Mitchell has been around as a reporter for 50 years. It is doubtful she would have gotten he story wrong the first time around.
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