previous President Donald Trump A proposed prisoner exchange between Russia and the United States to return imprisoned WNBA star Britney Griner in exchange for a Russian arms dealer “doesn’t look like a very good deal,” he suggested.
Trump said on The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show, “She knew you weren’t going there loaded with drugs and admitted it.” I think I admitted without putting in. It sure doesn’t look like a very good deal, does it? He’s definitely one of the worst in the world. because I’m going to
Trump cited reports that the United States was seeking to secure the release of Griner and former US Marine Paul Whelan in exchange for a known Russian arms dealer, Viktor Bout. “Death Merchant” Because of his arms sales that have caused deadly conflicts around the world.
“She went there with drugs loaded into hostile territory where they are very vigilant against drugs,” Trump added. Got caught and now we’re going to take her out – and she, you know, I think makes a lot of money. It’s supposed to be a hit man, one of the world’s largest arms dealers, he’s killed a lot of Americans, he’s killed a lot of people.”
Britney Greiner revealed translation issues during arrest in February
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said earlier this week that the Kremlin and US official “There are no concrete results yet,” he said.
“It’s based on the premise that negotiations need to take into account the interests of both sides,” she said.
Greiner, a WNBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist, Arrested in Russia In February, after customs officers found “e-cigarettes” containing hash oil in her luggage at an airport near Moscow.
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Griner, who could face up to 10 years in prison, plead guilty Earlier this month, her legal team said it had taken “full responsibility for her actions.”
Former Trump Secretary of State Mike Pompeo proposed earlier this week The proposed prisoner exchange is not a good idea.
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“He’s a bad guy. He’s the guy who wanted to kill Americans. That poses a real danger to the United States. There are real reasons why the Russians want him back. Offering a deal like this is It’s a dangerous precedent,” Pompeo told America’s Newsroom.
“It’s not a good deal, it’s not the right path forward, and it’s likely to lead to more deals,” Pompeo added.
Russian official Bout was convicted in 2011 of conspiring to murder an American, conspiring to deliver an anti-aircraft missile, and supporting a terrorist organization, and is currently serving a 25-year sentence in a US prison.
He was arrested in 2008 in a sting operation at a luxury hotel in Bangkok, Thailandwhere he met with a Drug Enforcement Administration informant posing as an official of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, classified by US authorities as a drug terrorist group.
Prosecutors said Bout was ready offer a group $20 million worth of “breathtaking arsenal of weapons – including hundreds of surface-to-air missiles, machine guns, sniper rifles, 10 million rounds of ammunition and 5 tons of plastic explosives”.
Fox News’ Joshua Q. Nelson contributed to this report.