Tucker Carlson Should Use Clout With Putin to Free Paul Whelan: 'The View'

The panel on The View discussed on Monday the recent prisoner exchange that resulted in WNBA player Brittney Griner's return to the U.S. after spending 10 months in a Russian prison.

During the talk, show co-host Ana Navarro took exception with conservative figures who have criticized the deal that swapped Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for Griner because it didn't include Paul Whelan, a former U.S. Marine who has been held in Russia since 2018.

Navarro, who worked as a political strategist for multiple Republicans before joining The View, suggested that conservative figures like Fox News host Tucker Carlson and former President Donald Trump could use what she referred to as their "celebrity" status in Russia to broker Whelan's release.

"It was a darn thing to watch, really, that all of a sudden the right wing—who had been silent on Paul Whelan for the four years—all of a sudden came out," Navarro said. "And it's Donald Trump Jr., it's Donald Trump Sr., it's Sean Hannity, it's Carlson Tucker..."

"You mean Tucker Carlson," fellow host Whoopi Goldberg said, correcting Navarro on the popular Fox News host's name.

"Thank God, I could have called him something else," Navarro said. "But you know what? All these people have very good relationships with [Vladimir] Putin."

She continued, "Tucker Carlson is a celebrity in Russia. Donald Trump is a celebrity in Russia. He claims they're very good friends.... They can get on a plane now, and they can go get Paul Whelan, if they really care so much about Paul Whelan."

Since Putin's invasion of Ukraine last February, Russian state media outlets and government agencies have used multiple videos and statements by Carlson in their propaganda about the war. Among clips used from Carlson's Fox News program by Russia are ones in which the host criticizes President Joe Biden for his continuing support of Ukraine.

More recently, Carlson took umbrage with Griner's release. During a segment on his show, he cited an NBC News report that said Russia gave Biden a choice of whether to free Whelan or Griner in a swap for Bout.

"Why did they make that choice? You should know that Whelan is a Trump voter, and he made the mistake of saying so on social media, and he's paying the price for that now," Carlson said. "Brittany Griner is not. She has very different politics."

Despite Carlson's remarks, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said last week, "This was not a choice for us on which American to bring home. It was a choice between bringing home one American or none."

For his part, Trump seems to enjoy a positive image in Russia. In the lead-up to the Russian president's invasion of Ukraine, Trump praised Putin's military strategy as "genius" and "very savvy" during an appearance on The Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show. His comments resulted in a major backlash, including a reaction from Olivia Troye—a homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to former Vice President Mike Pence—who called Trump's remarks "despicable."

Trump has also been praised by commentators on Russian state media, while Biden is frequently denounced by such figures.

Meanwhile, Trump and his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., have also criticized the Griner deal. On Truth Social, they both referred to Griner as an "America hating" basketball player while condemning the prisoner exchange.

Newsweek reached out to Fox News for comment.