What does former US President Donald Trump think about the Brittney Griner situation in Russia?
The former president has struck out at the basketball player describing her detention in Russia as her own fault.
Brittney Griner remains locked up in Russia after admitting a drugs possession charge. It is widely believed she is being held for political reasons due to the American opposition to Russia’s war on Ukraine. She was stopped at Sheremetyveo International Airport when security officers found a vaporizer and hash oil cartridges in her luggage.
Now, former US president Donald Trump has weighed in on the situation. Speaking on the Clay Travis & Buck Sexton radio show on Saturday, Trump was not supportive of Griner and suggested the proposed prisoner swap between the US and Russia would be a mistake.
What exactly did Donald Trump say?
“She knew you don’t go in there loaded up with drugs,” Trump said, “I assume she admitted it without too much force, because it is what it is.”
‘”They don’t like drugs,” Trump he continued, “And she got caught. And now, we’re supposed to get her out—and she makes, you know, a lot of money, I guess.”
“We’re supposed to get her out for an absolute killer and one of the biggest arms dealers in the world,” Trump said. “He’s absolutely one of the worst in the world, and he’s going to be given his freedom because a potentially spoiled person goes into Russia loaded up with drugs.”
What is the latest for Griner’s situation?
The Biden administration has offered a deal to Russia aimed at bringing back WNBA star Brittney Griner and another jailed American, Paul Whelan, in exchange for Viktor Bout, a convicted Russian arms trafficker serving a 25-year US prison sentence.
Bout is a former Russian arms dealer who was arrested in 2008, and after years of extradition and trials he was sentenced to 25 years in an American court back in 2012.