Former President Donald Trump on Friday called WNBA star Brittney Greener “spoiled” and said he disapproved of the Biden administration’s proposed plan to exchange Viktor Bout, a Russian arms trafficker detained in the United States, for the athlete and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan.
The former president made the comments about Greener, who is being held in Russia on drug charges, during an appearance on The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show podcast. Trump blamed Greener for her arrest, saying she traveled to Russia “loaded with drugs.”
Griner, a center for the Phoenix Mercury, was arrested at a Moscow airport in February during preparations for Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. In early July, she pleaded guilty to importing vape cartridges containing cannabis oil into the country. If convicted, she could face up to 10 years in prison.
Whelan was arrested by Russian officials in December 2018. In 2020, he was convicted of espionage and sentenced to 16 years in prison by a Russian court.
Former President Donald Trump on Friday called Brittney Greener “spoiled” and said he disapproved of the Biden administration’s proposed plan to swap Viktor Bout, a Russian arms trafficker jailed in the United States, for Greener and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan. Above, Trump is seen at Trump National Golf Club Bedminster on July 28 in Bedminster, New Jersey. (Photo by Jonathan Ferry/LIV Golf via Getty Images)
Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced the proposed deal last month during a news conference, saying he planned to discuss the prisoner swap with his Russian counterpart in their first meeting since the invasion.
“We need to expose her as an absolute killer and one of the biggest arms dealers in the world. Killed a lot of Americans. Killed a lot of people. And he’s going to get a free card and we’re going to take it,” Trump said of Griner’s proposed trade for Booth, who has been dubbed the “Merchant of Death.”
The former president added: “He is absolutely one of the worst in the world and he will be given freedom because a potentially spoiled person is going to Russia loaded with drugs. She knew you didn’t go in there loaded with drugs and she admitted it. I guess she admitted it without much force, because it is what it is, and it sure doesn’t seem like a very good trade, does it?”
Baut, 55, is currently serving a 25-year sentence in an Illinois prison for conspiring to kill US citizens and officials. He was also convicted of selling millions of dollars worth of weapons to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in 2011. The Kremlin has long pushed for his release, calling his US detention “illegal” and accusing the US of unfairly attacking him politically reasons.
Newsweek has reached out to the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment.
The basketball star said he had no intention of breaking the law by bringing the cartridges into Russia and claimed he had a prescription from his American doctor for medical marijuana. Her defense attorney recently said during a hearing that she uses cannabis to treat pain.
Maria Blagovolina, one of the lawyers representing Griner in Russia, recently gave a statement to Newsweek after the defense team learned of the trade offer.
“Greiner’s Russian Defense Team Learned [the] The US offer from the news,” said Blagovolina. “From a legal point of view, the replacement is possible only after the court’s ruling. In any case, we will be delighted if Britney is able to come home and we hope it will be soon.”
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