Biden Chose Brittney Griner Over a Marine

Putin was well aware of the ruling class's priorities.

President Biden @POTUS

Moments ago I spoke to Brittney Griner. She is safe. She is on a plane. She is on her way home.

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The talk of the town today is the only WNBA trade that has ever made headlines.

Brittney Griner, detained at a Russian airport back in February for allegedly carrying illegal cannibas oil in her luggage, has been freed in exchange for Viktor Bout, a notorious Russian arms dealer who was known to western intelligence agencies as the “merchant of death” and the “sanctions buster” for his ability to get around arms embargoes.

Bout was one of the most wanted men on the planet before his arrest in 2008. His clients included “rogue states, rebel groups, and murderous warlords in Africa, Asia, and South America.”

Catch Up @CatchUpNetwork

The Merchant of Death On weaponizing civil war in Africa: "He transformed these men adolescent warriors into insidious mindless maniacally killing machines that operated with assembly line efficiencies." "Viktor Bout is one of the most dangerous men on the face of the Earth."

Once senior U.S. official stated that “There is a concern that [Bout] would return to doing the kind of work he’s done in the past.”

To say that this was a lopsided trade would be a woeful understatement—and all the more so because Griner, who has said the national anthem shouldn’t be played before WNBA games, was freed instead of U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who’s been held in a Russian prison for the past four years as part of a sixteen-year sentence for “espionage.”¹

Tom Elliott @tomselliott

An American whose been held hostage in Russia for four years, Paul Whelan, told CNN: "I am greatly disappointed that more has not been done to secure my release"

For several months, the Biden administration had expressed its intent to secure the release of both Griner and Whelan in exchange for Bout, but according to White House press secretary clown Karine Jean-Pierre, it was either “bring Brittney home or no one.”

Greg Price @greg_price11

KJP: "The choice was bring Brittney home or no one. The president will never stop working to secure Paul Whelan's release. On a personal note, Brittney is an important role model, an inspiration to millions of Americans particularly the LGBTQI+ Americans and women of color"

And I, for one, think that’s complete bullshit, and it starts with what I see as a pretty big giveaway. I’ve learned that when the mainstream media stealth edits an article — something they’ve started doing more and more despite the obvious breach in journalistic ethics² — it’s because they’re trying to hide something, and lo and behold, as first pointed out by Jordan Schachtel, NBC News has stealth edited its story about the decision to choose Griner over Whelan, citing the same unknown U.S. official in both accounts.

Note the difference between the original (left) and the current version (right):

The NBC report also cites Whelan’s Russian lawyer, Vladimir Zherebenkov, who said “the deal was an exchange of ‘one to one,’ and that choosing Griner, 32, appeared ‘more humane’ because she is a woman and an Olympic champion, while Whelan was in the military and it is ‘easier for him to be in custody.’”

Mike @Doranimated

“Whelan's Russian lawyer, Vladimir Zherebenkov, also said…that choosing Griner appeared ‘more humane’ because she is a woman and an Olympic champion, while Whelan was in the military and it is ‘easier for him to be in custody.’” nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna6…

Zherebenkov said back in July that Russia was offering a 1-for-1 trade: Whelan for Bout. Obviously, this was rejected by the Biden administration.

Indeed, Whelan’s own brother said just a few days ago that the former Marine was being considered for a one-for-one swap:

Kellie Meyer @KellieMeyerNews

.@MarniHughesTV will be speaking LIVE with Paul Whelans brother shortly on @NewsNation. She spoke with him just a few days ago and they talked about the potential of a one to one swap. As Marni shared on air just now - Whelan a U.S. marine sings the national anthem every morning.

I think the Biden administration is lying; I think the reason they chose Griner over Whelan is because of optics, and because it’s in accordance with the ruling class’s cultural priorities. It’s also consonant with America’s current zeitgeist, which is largely determined by the mainstream media, Hollywood, and academia.

Vladimir Putin has made a habit of eviscerating the West in his speeches for its woke pieties, (accurately) comparing wokeness to the Bolshevik Revolution. I believe he was well aware of the Biden administration’s priorities, and that this knowledge influenced Russia’s negotiations.

The_Real_Fly @The_Real_Fly

RUSSIAN TV MOCKS GRINER RELEASE, SAYING US CHOSE A BLACK LESBIAN DRUG ADDICT OVER DECORATED HERO AND SPY BECAUSE FUCK YOU

Here we have the loathsome Randi Weingarten, arguably the individual most responsible for extended school closures in the U.S. (maybe second to Fauci), saying the quiet part out loud:

Randi Weingarten 🇺🇦🇺🇸💪🏿👩‍🎓 @rweingarten

@POTUS What a great relief!!! Extraordinary news, a basketball star, but also a gay, black woman is released. And yes of course we want other prisoners like Paul Whelan released.

Paul Whelan, on the other hand, is a cis hetero white male. Yuck. Zero intersectional points. Not a priority.

Recall that Trump successfully convinced North Korea to release three American hostages as a goodwill gesture. Imagine the headlines if he’d been the one to broker the Griner exchange.

Michael Tracey @mtracey

"Trump colludes with Putin to free notorious Russian warlord in exchange for favored celebrity athlete"

1. Russia claims that Whelan was caught “red-handed” after receiving a USB flash drive containing classified information.

2. The New York Times is particularly notorious for this. It goes back to Nikole Hannah-Jones and the abomination that is the 1619 project.