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Donald Trump Jr. on Thursday criticized President Joe Biden for helping secure the release of WNBA player Brittney Griner from a Russian prison.
"No one cuts better deals than Biden. We get an awful America Hating WNBA player, while Russia gets AN INTERNATIONAL ARMS DEALER!!! The adults are back!" Trump wrote on Truth Social, the social media platform founded by his father, former President Donald Trump.
Biden posted a picture on Thursday morning of himself with Cherelle Griner, the wife of the WNBA star. He wrote, "Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner. She is safe. She is on a plane. She is on her way home."
Griner has been in custody in Russia for 10 months after she was arrested for possession of vape cartridges that contained cannabis oil at a Moscow airport in February. The Phoenix Mercury had traveled to Russia during the WNBA off season to play in a professional league there.
In August, a Russian court found her guilty of drug smuggling with criminal intent by a Russian court on Thursday. She was sentenced to nine years in prison and fined 1 million rubles (roughly $16,000 USD).
Griner's release came as a result of a prisoner swap for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer known as the "Merchant of Death," who has been imprisoned in the United States. Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine who is being held in Russia, was not part of the deal that resulted in Griner's release despite the Biden administration's efforts to make him part of the exchange.
Trump Jr. denounced the trade involving Bout in another Truth Social post.
"You guys know how to make sure [Russian President Vladimir] Putin keeps arresting Americans and severely punishing them?" Trump wrote. "Trade him an arms dealer aka 'The Merchant of Death' someone guilty of conspiring to kill Americans and aiding a terrorist organization for an America Hating WNBA activist."
He continued, "Great trade! Our government's weakness and stupidity will only encourage the abuse of American citizens abroad."
In July, former President Trump spoke out against the proposed plan of exchanging Bout for Griner and Whelan. During an appearance on The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show podcast, Trump called the WNBA star "spoiled" while characterizing Bout as dangerous.
"We're supposed to get her out for an absolute killer and one of the biggest arms dealers in the world. Killed many Americans. Killed many people. And he's gonna get a free card and we're gonna get her," 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."
Bout was arrested in Thailand in 2008 and extradited to the United States in 2010 to stand trial on terrorism charges. In 2011, he was convicted of conspiring to kill U.S. citizens and officials and of selling millions of dollars of weapons to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
Newsweek reached out to Donald Trump Jr. for comment.
Update 12/08/22, 10:25 a.m. ET: This story was updated with background information.
About the writer
Jon Jackson is a News Editor at Newsweek based in New York. His focus is on reporting on the Ukraine ... Read more