The White House stressed on Thursday that it is committed to bringing home former Marine Paul Whelan and will remain vigilant over Viktor Bout’s release amid a backlash of criticism over a prisoner swap deal that released WNBA star Brittney Griner from months of detention in Russia.
In exchange for the release of Griner, the U.S. is releasing Bout, an infamous Russian arms dealer known as the “Merchant of Death.” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre acknowledged to reporters during the White House briefing that the “immediate results can feel unfair or arbitrary” when it comes to a prisoner swap.
