Video of WNBA star Brittney Griner being swapped for Russian Merchant of Death Viktor Bout

Video has emerged of the moment a smiling Brittney Griner was told she was going home in a trade with Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Griner is shown with a shaved head, signing papers in the Russian gulag where she has been held since August, then leaving the prison carrying bags. The date of the videos taken in custody is November 29.

In a picture from today, she is seen on a plane where she is told she is going back to the United States. When she was asked what her mood was, she said, “Happy.”

While it was a victory for Griner, who was convicted of possessing two cartridges of cannabis oil upon entering Russia in February, the deal has been criticized as an embarrassing “surrender” for the Biden administration.

Many see it as a gift to Putin and his war effort in Ukraine. They see it as a damning indictment of Biden’s diplomatic record and are appalled by Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the deal.

The White House today denied that Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was involved, but also thanked the United Arab Emirates for the ‘use of its territory’, in what appeared to be a contradictory statement.

Griner has not spoken publicly, but his agents say they were “heaving a sigh of relief.”

They praised Biden and said they were committed to getting Paul Whelan out, and other Americans jailed abroad.

‘Today, we are breathing a deep sigh of relief. Brittney Griner is on her way home.

“We are overwhelmed with gratitude to President Biden, Vice President Harris, and the entire Biden-Harris Administration,” they said.

Griner was playing on a Russian team when she was arrested. She was in a WNBA offseason and was able to earn significantly more in Russia than in the US.

She was caught with two cartridges of cannabis oil in a vaporizer, a violation of Russia’s strict drug laws, and was jailed.

After a short trial in a Russian court in the summer, she was sentenced to nine years.

The harsh sentence caused an uproar among Griner’s fans and celebrity friends and Biden and Harris immediately vowed to bring her home.

The suggestion of a trade for Bout was made quickly.

But critics were quick to question why Griner, who broke the law and admits to it, should be released.

The most vocal critics questioned why Griner should be traded when Paul Whelan, who has been in prison for four years, has not. Biden insists that he is still trying to get Whelan out.

The agreement was negotiated with Vladimir Putin, responsible for the genocide in Ukraine, and with the help of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, just 48 hours after the United States withdrew a lawsuit that held him responsible for the murder of Saudi dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The news was met with anger by supporters of former Marine Paul Whelan, who remains in a Russian prison.

Republicans condemned that as “unconscionable” and said the White House focused on “celebrities” rather than veterans detained by Putin.

Whelan said from prison that he was “very disappointed” that the Biden administration did not do more to secure his release along with Griner and said he was ready to “go home.”

Republican leader Kevin McCarthy called it “unconscionable” to leave Whelan behind.

‘Merchant of death: that is the nickname of the prisoner that Biden returned to Putin.

He was convicted of conspiring to kill US law enforcement.

“This is a gift to Vladimir Putin and it endangers the lives of Americans. Leaving Paul Whelan behind for this is inconceivable.

Rep. Adam Kinzinger, an Illinois Republican and former Air Force pilot, also complained.

So, a basketball star is released, we can celebrate, but what about Paul Whelan?

“An American wrongfully detained for years,” he tweeted.

‘She may not be high profile, but she is innocent. This is a dangerous path.

Former ambassador John Bolton told CNN the deal was more of a “surrender” than a “trade.”

‘Obviously, there’s a lot of very understandable human emotion here in releasing Griner, but this is a very serious mistake by the Biden administration, but this is a very serious mistake by the Biden administration.

This is not a deal. This is not an exchange. This is a surrender. And terrorists and rogue states around the world will take note of this, and it endangers other Americans in the future who can be grabbed and used as bargaining chips by people who don’t have the same morals and scruples as we do,’ he said.