Brittney Griner says US government should have got imprisoned marine Paul Whelan in the trade for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout during teaser for ABC interview that will air tomorrow
- Griner wishes she wasn’t the only one returning to the United States
- She was shocked to discover that Paul Whelan was not involved in the deal
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Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner says she hoped she wasn’t the only American released from a Russian prison in 2022.
Griner was arrested in February 2022 and released in December in a prisoner swap with the Russians.
In a preview of an interview Griner conducted with Robin Roberts on ABC’s 20/20, the WNBA star says she hoped Paul Whelan was on the plane with her.
Whelan has been held in Russia since 2018 on espionage charges and was sentenced to 16 years in prison in June 2020.
‘When I walked on and didn’t see him, I thought, OK, maybe I’m early. Maybe he’s next. Maybe they’ll bring him next.
Brittney Griner says she wishes Paul Whelan would accompany her on the flight back to the US
Griner believes the trade to bring her back should have included Whelan
“And when they closed the door, I thought, ‘Are you really not going to let this guy come home?’
Griner was traded for Viktor Bout, an arms dealer nicknamed “the Merchant of Death.”
She says the US government should have pushed harder to bring back both herself and Whelan.
“If it was left up to me in that business, I would have gone and gotten Paul and brought him home,” Griner says.
“But every time we can bring an American home, it’s a victory for Americans. No one should be left behind.’