{"id":1579274,"date":"2022-07-29T14:33:10","date_gmt":"2022-07-29T18:33:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1579274"},"modified":"2022-07-29T14:33:29","modified_gmt":"2022-07-29T18:33:29","slug":"biden-administration-reportedly-offering-to-trade-infamous-arms-dealer-viktor-bout-for-brittney-griner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-administration-reportedly-offering-to-trade-infamous-arms-dealer-viktor-bout-for-brittney-griner\/","title":{"rendered":"Biden Administration Reportedly Offering To Trade Infamous Arms Dealer Viktor Bout For Brittney Griner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbiden-administration-reportedly-offering-to-trade-infamous-arms-dealer-viktor-bout-for-brittney-griner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1579274&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Joe Biden\u2019s administration is reportedly offering to free infamous arms dealer Viktor Bout and exchange him for WNBA player Brittney Griner and Paul N. Whelan.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2288\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2288\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2288\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brittney Griner via Basketball Box W YouTube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2022\/07\/27\/us\/russia-griner-whelan-prisoners.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The New York Times<\/a> reports, \u201cThe Biden administration has offered to free the imprisoned Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout to secure the release of Brittney Griner and Paul N. Whelan, two Americans imprisoned in Russia who the State Department says were wrongfully detained, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2022\/07\/27\/politics\/griner-whelan-biden-offer-viktor-bout-exchange-russia-arms-dealer\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CNN also reports<\/a>, \u201cAfter months of internal debate, the Biden administration has offered to exchange\u00a0Viktor Bout, a convicted Russian arms trafficker serving a 25-year US prison sentence, as part of a potential deal to secure the release of two Americans held by\u00a0Russia, Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan, according to people briefed on the matter.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3060\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3060\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3060\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022.07.28-03.02-themixnet-62e2a4ee870cf.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"450\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3060\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Viktor Bout in Thailand escorted by local police Photo Credit: U.S. Government, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"title\"><strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boundingintosports.com\/2022\/07\/world-series-champion-curt-schilling-blasts-brittney-griner-and-lebron-james-obey-the-fing-law\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">World Series Champion Curt Schilling Blasts Brittney Griner And LeBron James: \u201cOBEY THE F***ING LAW\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>In remarks to the press, Secretary of State Anthony J. Blinken confirmed he offered Russia \u201ca substantial proposal\u201d in order to obtain Whelan and Griner\u2019s release.<\/p>\n<p>He said, \u201cIn the coming days, I expect to speak with Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov for the first time since the war began. I plan to raise an issue that\u2019s a top priority for us: the release of Americans Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner, who have been wrongfully detained and must be allowed to come home.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe put a substantial proposal on the table weeks ago to facilitate their release,\u201d he added. \u201cOur governments have communicated repeatedly and directly on that proposal. And I\u2019ll use the conversation to follow up personally and, I hope, move us toward a resolution.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"video-block full\">\n[embedded content]\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"email-signup inarticle\">\n<h4>Subscribe and get our daily emails and follow us on social media.<\/h4>\n<div class=\"terms-privacy\">\n<p>By opting in, you agree to receive emails from TheMix.net. Your information will not be shared with or sold to 3rd parties.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>While Blinken confirmed the United States put a proposal on the table, John Kirby, the National Security Council\u2019s coordinator for strategic communications, provided some more details.<\/p>\n<p>He addressed the public saying, \u201cNow, months ago President Biden directed his national security team to pursue every avenue to bring Brittney home safely to her family, her friends, her loved ones, her teammates.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe US government continues to work aggressively pursuing every avenue to make that happen. Now, as part of those efforts, we made a substantial offer to secure the release of Paul Whelan and Brittney Griner to bring them home just as Secretary Blinken mentioned earlier.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3062\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3062\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3062\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022.07.28-03.02-themixnet-62e2a4f3d9f6b.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1103\" height=\"596\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3062\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">John Kirby via The Independent YouTube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"title\"><strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boundingintosports.com\/2022\/07\/lebron-james-says-brittney-griner-should-reconsider-potential-return-to-the-us-immediately-backtracks-after-backlash\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">LeBron James Says Brittney Griner Should Reconsider Potential Return To The US, Immediately Backtracks After Backlash<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Later in his address, Kirby said, \u201cIn order to decrease the chances for success we\u2019re obviously not going to be able to share more publicly about the deal. I\u2019m sure you all have questions about what this looks like and I\u2019m sure you can all understand that it\u2019s not going to help us get them home if we\u2019re negotiating in public with y\u2019all. So I\u2019m not going to have any more detail on that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut I will say that the President and his team are willing to take extraordinary steps to bring our people home as we demonstrated with Trevor Reed. And that\u2019s what we\u2019re doing right here. It\u2019s actively happening now,\u201d he claimed.<\/p>\n<div class=\"video-block full\">\n[embedded content]\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-us-canada-62327564\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The BBC reports<\/a> that Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov was surprised by the reports about the possible prisoner exchange saying he would not provide a comment until \u201cafter an agreement has been carried out.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Griner was detained in Russia back in February on drug possession charges. She plead guilty telling a Russian court, \u201cI\u2019d like to plead guilty, your honor. But there was no intent. I didn\u2019t want to break the law.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Phoenix Mercury player also claims she doesn\u2019t know how she came into possession of the drugs saying, \u201cI still don\u2019t understand to this day how [the drugs] ended up in my bags.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>She added, \u201cWith them being accidentally in my bags, I take responsibility, but I did not intend to smuggle or plan to smuggle anything into Russia.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_2238\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-2238\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-2238\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022.07.14-09.38-themixnet-62d08cbd2e526.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1215\" height=\"662\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-2238\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Brittney Griner via ESPN YouTube<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p class=\"title\"><strong>RELATED: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boundingintosports.com\/2022\/07\/the-atlantics-jemele-hill-defends-lebron-james-recent-comments-about-brittney-griner-says-critics-are-intent-on-misunderstanding\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Atlantic\u2019s Jemele Hill Defends LeBron James\u2019 Recent Comments About Brittney Griner, Says Critics Are \u201cIntent On Misunderstanding\u201d<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<p>As for Paul Whelan, he\u2019s a former Marine who was detained at a Moscow hotel in December 2018 and charged with espionage, which he denies. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2022\/04\/27\/politics\/paul-whelan-left-behind-statement\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">He told CNN in April<\/a>, \u201cWhy was I left behind? While I am pleased Trevor is home with his family, I have been held on a fictitious charge of espionage for 40 months.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He added, \u201cThe world knows this charge was fabricated. Why hasn\u2019t more been done to secure my release?\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Whelan was convicted of the espionage charges in June 2020 and sentenced to 16 years in prison.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3063\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3063\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3063\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022.07.28-03.02-themixnet-62e2a4fa0a052.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"482\" height=\"487\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3063\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">U.S. Marine Corps portrait of American detainee in Russia Paul Whelan, provided to the press by his family Photo Credit: United States Marine Corps, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Viktor Bout was arrested in 2008 in Thailand on terrorism charges and was later extradited to the United States in 2010 where he faced charges of attempting to smuggle arms to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia to be used against U.S. forces in Colombia.<\/p>\n<p>Bout denied the charges. He was convicted in 2011 and sentenced to 25 years. He\u2019s serving his sentence at the United States Penitentiary, Marion.<\/p>\n<p>Bout is reportedly the inspiration for the Nicolas cage starring film <em>Lord of War<\/em>.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3061\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3061\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-3061\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/07\/2022.07.28-03.02-themixnet-62e2a4fc04e1b.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"1000\" height=\"611\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3061\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">WHITE PLAINS, NY \u2013 NOVEMBER 16: In this photo provided by the U.S. Department of Justice, former Soviet military officer and arms trafficking suspect Viktor Bout (C) deplanes after arriving at Westchester County Airport November 16, 2010 in White Plains, New York. Bout was extradited from Thailand to the U.S. to face terrorism charges after a final effort by Russian diplomats to have him released failed. (Photo by U.S. Department of Justice via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>What do you make of the United States reportedly offering to trade Bout for Whelan and Griner?<\/p>\n<p><strong>NEXT: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.boundingintosports.com\/2022\/07\/ufc-veteran-tim-kennedy-slams-brittney-griners-anti-american-stance-while-jailed-in-russia-has-words-for-lebron-james-too\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UFC Veteran Tim Kennedy Slams Brittney Griner\u2019s Anti-American Stance While She\u2019s Jailed In Russia, Has Words For LeBron James Too<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Joe Biden\u2019s administration is reportedly offering to free infamous arms dealer Viktor Bout and exchange him for WNBA player Brittney Griner and Paul N. Whelan. Brittney Griner via Basketball Box<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1579387,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1579274","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1579274","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1579274"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1579274\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1579387"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1579274"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1579274"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1579274"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}