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The Biden administration finalized an unusual prisoner exchange, which included a basketball player and a certain man nicknamed the “Merchant of Death.” Last Thursday, athlete Brittney Griner, detained in Russia for possession of a small amount of cannabis, was released in exchange for Viktor Bout, who was serving a 25-year prison sentence in the United States on charges of conspiracy to kill Americans.
While the president welcomed the exchange, he also acknowledged that it was not particularly fair. Concern also surfaced among Democratic officials, DEA investigators and even a leading Democratic senator.
Speaking to POLITICO, a senior Defense Department official commented, “I think there is a concern that [he] would return to doing the same kind of work that he’s done in the past.”
In particular, he was concerned about the impact his release could have on Africa, perhaps the epicenter of Bout’s criminal activity.
“Every Africanist who has been working on this for years and years probably will have a little piece of flutter of disappointment inside. If his network … were to come to fruition, then we would definitely share the challenges of what illicit weapons or illegal weapons could mean for their prosperity,” he added.
The Department of Defense remained on the sidelines. Again anonymously, an official spoke to The Washington Post and emphasized that “If she were my relative, I would want to do the swap,” but “trading a notorious international arms dealer for a basketball player is madness.”
Meanwhile, Michael Braun, a former chief of operations for DEA with more than 30 years of federal law enforcement experience, anticipated the trade-off and wrote about it in August. In his view, Bout’s release could pose a threat to national security:
“I had ultimate oversight over the operation that led to Bout’s arrest and incarceration. Trading Bout away wouldn’t just be a slap in the face of the law enforcement officers and operatives who labored to bring Bout down, many of them risking their lives in the process. It would also pose a grave threat to the national security of the United States and its allies.”
Michael Braun
Bob Menendez: “Releasing Bout is a deeply disturbing decision”
The Griner-Bout swap also sparked unease among Democrats. For example, Bob Menendez (D-NJ), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, reflected on the matter and lamented the non-release of Navy veteran Paul Whelan.
“The Russians and other regimes that take American citizens hostage cannot pretend that there is equivalence between the Brittney Griners of the world and people like Viktor Bout, the so-called ‘Merchant of Death.’ Nothing could be further from the truth, and we cannot ignore that releasing Bout back into the world is a deeply disturbing decision,” the senator said in a statement.
“We must stop inviting dictatorial and rogue regimes to use Americans overseas as bargaining chips, and we must try to do better at encouraging American citizens against traveling to places like Russia where they are primary targets for this type of unlawful detention,” he added.
Finally, he referred to Whelan, who is also in Russia deprived of his freedom. “My heart also goes out to the families of other American citizens in Russian prisons and labor camps, including Paul Whelan,” the statement concluded. “They have my renewed commitment and determination to use the power of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to secure Mr. Whelan’s safe return and to continue fighting for the release of all Russian political prisoners, like Vladimir Kara Murza, and all other unjustly detained Americans,” he concluded.
Joaquín Núñez es licenciado en comunicación periodística por la Universidad Católica Argentina. Se especializa en el escenario internacional y en la política nacional norteamericana. Confeso hincha de Racing Club de Avellaneda. Contacto: [email protected] // Joaquín Núñez has a degree in journalistic communication from the Universidad Católica Argentina. He specializes in the international scene and national American politics. Confessed fan of Racing Club of Avellaneda. Contact: [email protected]