Brittney Griner Is Released
 

Thank you, Mr. President.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/natio...a-viktor-bout/

Now do Paul Whelan.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world...s-paul-whelan/

With her release now a done deal.
I will state this as my take on the, yes weak negotiating on our part. There was a large out cry here, to which helped the Russians feel they had a very strong hand.

Glad she is out and free.

Whelan should of been included. Not knowing the negotiations and should not. Feel it was headlines and a victory that won out. The Russians played a good game. I leave it up to Biden's team to prove me wrong if Whelan is home soon.

Wondering what his other countries are doing about this?

"Whelan is a citizen of Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Ireland."

I wouldn't put it beyond Putin to chose who to release for political reasons. We know he prefers the Republicans over the Democrats.

There is so much to consider with just what information can be found easily on Mr Whelan's Checkered past to say the least. There may well be an less flavorful untold story we will find out in the future.

Still, giving up a notorious arms dealer just when Russia could use one.....

Glad she is home and this may well of been the only deal to be made.

This is from a statement by Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee:

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.

I'm glad Griner is back home, but he ain't wrong about Bout.

Reminder: Your Dear Leader had two years to secure the release of Paul Whelan and accomplished nothing. Indeed, Trump did not mention Mr Whelan’s name a single time during the two years he was held in Russia on his watch, nor did he bring up the former US Marine during a 2019 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump cared far less about Whelan than he did with continuing to be Putin's useful idiot.

There is probably a reason, you need to do some more digging on Mr. Whelan as @Oertes brought up already. I was discussing this with some friends still in Mil Intel yesterday, their take was "we" are not going out of our way to get him back. Why are his other countries not trying to get him released?

Victor Bout is an exceptional person. He sold arms to MPLA and UNITA. WTF!

One has to give credit to Biden. Unlike Obama and Clinton, he has consistently rewarded his base.

Glad also the lady is home.

Some wring hands about "the merchant of death" being back on the streets, so to speak. I have no doubt that when he was locked up someone else stepped right into his shoes. Too much money to be made in doing that stuff for a void to go unfilled for long. Don't get me wrong, if he's as bad as they said he should have been terminated post haste.

You mean:

GOP: Paul Whelan is a noble, heroic member of our military.

Reality: Paul Whelan, a citizen of the UK, Ireland, Canada and the USA was dishonorably discharged for attempted larceny, making a false official statement, trying to pass 10 bad checks, wrongfully using someone else's social security number and having had three instances of dereliction of duty.

But at least he wasn't black and gay. In case you need a reminder, please recall that Trump has said before that he prefers members of the US military who were not captured.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Fjke9mJX...jpg&name=small

Fricking Magamoron fake patriot killjoys can go fuck themselves with chainsaws.
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinio...oint-rcna60873

I have sympathy for anyone imprisoned. No matter where they serve the sentance. So that being stated.

I'm also one for personal responsibility for one's actions.

Taking contraband into a country or smuggling out items. Don't do the crime if can't do the time....

My feeling still are the USA gave up to much in this trade.

The vainglorious petty tyrant destroying Russia's international status makes up shit like this to polish his profile, it wouldn't matter what sort of pain meds she was prescribed to turn this nothingness into an international incident.
It was prescription meds, and regardless, he could produce fake evedence to arrest and hold her, just because that's what he is.
Nobody should be going there for any reason after these incidents and exposing themselves to this petty gamesmanship.
Re Bout, just Another pawn in his power game where he holds a good hand up to now. He looks like a hero to his fascist fan club. So what?

Interesting side story - CBS doesn't always suck.

"CBS News broke the news Thursday morning of WNBA star Brittney Griner’s release from a Russian prison in exchange for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout — but it came a full week after its journalists learned about it.

After receiving an initial tip Dec. 1 that Griner would be part of a prisoner swap, CBS reporters obtained confirmation from five sources by the following day. But the network agreed to a White House request to hold the news — for fear of jeopardizing the delicate negotiations that led to the swap." WP

https://www.washingtonpost.com/media...oop-full-week/

seconded

Reminder - my post, and this thread, is not about Trump. But since you brought it up, that same news source also claims Trump turned down a Whelan for Bout exchange. So, the logical question is: if Trump "never mentioned" Whelan, how could he also turn down such an exchange?

You don't know what conversations may or may not have been had regarding Whelan at that time. But at least try to get your facts straight when you post about it. :rolleyes:

He never publicly mentioned (nor tweeted about) Whelan. Who knows what occurred behind the scenes (other than whatever it was was unsuccessful)?

And while your post didn't mention Trump, criticism of the Griner/Boot swap has been almost exclusively from the MAGAWorld you inhabit and defend.

MAGA: "Trump would have released Paul Whelan!"

REALITY: "Trump had 724 days to do that."

MAGA: "Well....Putin wouldn't release him!"

REALITY: "Putin offered to release Whelan. Trump said no."

MAGA: "UH, TWITTER! THE BORDER! HUNTER BIDEN! CRT!"

Maybe we should trade Trump (and perhaps Don Jr.) for Whelan. Trump could skip out on his myriad criminal troubles and we'd get Whelan back and Junior could act out his gun fetish fighting for the Wagner Group in the Donbas. A win-win-win for all involved.

That would make a swell swap except that if Putin is able to wait just a little while longer he could get tRump and whatever assets he has stashed away for free. "Come to Mother Russia Donald. The American DOJ can't reach you here. Oh and bring your jet. We'll give it a nice new paint job (with a giant "P" on the tail) so no one will recognise it". PS, Leave junior at home. He is of no use to me.

MAGA World: "Waddabout, waddabout, waddabout!!??" :rolleyes:

Dude. You don't get to set conditions under which other members engage in my fricking thread. Start your own if you don't like it, troll. sheesh.

Was Paul Whelan Punitively Discharged from the Marines?

Snopes sez yes.

Rating: True

Context: Whelan received a "bad conduct discharge" from the Marines in 2008. In terms of severity of punishment, this form of discharge is second to — and distinct from — a dishonorable discharge.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/nba...30b4adc3af64ff

I think the issue here has more to do with your out-of-control obsession with Trump than it does my post. My post was about Menendez' comments, and all I did was agree.

Now, if you're willing to be honest about, which you're not, it's pretty obvious that Bout for Griner is NOT an even exchange. That was the Senator's point.

You can respond to that point if you want to, or you can continue your unhinged rants about Trump. Makes no difference to me.

Dude, the only one apparently setting conditions in this thread is you. Sheesh...

Trollin' trollin' trollin'
You can't stop me trollin'
Nothin' ever gets through trollhide!
Come on, dispute me,
Utterly refute me,
I'll swing that ol' tarbrush high and wide.
All your calculation
Facts and information
Don't make no impression--trollhide!

Never admit error,
Stand my ground forever
It's my super-power, trollhide!
Take lies as gospel
'Cause it makes 'em hostile,
If they're uncovered let them slide,
Misinformation
Mixed with obfuscation,
Endless disputation, trollhide!

Egg 'em on, whip 'em up,
Mess 'em up, fake 'em out,
Egg 'em on, fake 'em out, trollhide!
Set 'em up, reel 'em in,
Ride 'em hard, get 'em hot,
Let 'em bitch, trollhide!
Never admit error,
Stand my ground forever
It's my super-power, trollhide!
Take lies as gospel
'Cause it makes 'em hostile,
If they're uncovered let them slide,
Misinformation
Mixed with obfuscation,
Endless disputation, trollhide!

Trump administration was ‘not prepared’ for or ‘not interested in’ wrongful detentions: Paul Whelan’s brother
https://thehill.com/homenews/3770273...elans-brother/

Sorry, but you can't wipe that Trump stink off of you that easily.

The stink is more then skin deep on Trump love.

Any who stayed this long in love, to now be having issues with him. Has to do more with the loses associated with staying so long. Not what he said or did, no the loss of power has changed their minds.....

And why is that?

Now if Trump would have disappeared into the sunset to MAL, none of this dialog would have happened. Instead the certified moron continues to throw shit around and he is the one that wants to make everything about him, not us. But once he sticks his foot in, he is fair game.

Trump inserted himself into this controversy instead of STFU.

Even the MAGA world has come to the realization that Trump is going to crash and burn soon, his tax returns are no longer hidden, Scotus is looking at him with a jaundiced eye and the GOP will soon be dumping him after Herchel's loss.

Its the MAGA tears for a lost love that Trump is getting, a last hurrah.

Brittney Griner immediately shook hands with members of the crew returning her to the US, hostage affairs official says

https://www.cnn.com/2022/12/11/polit...ntv/index.html