It Sure Looks Like Biden Is Lying About the Brittney Griner Prisoner SwapBy Bonchie | 8:45 PM on December 09, 2022
Red State... Quickly, the backslapping began, with Joe Biden taking full credit for the deal, but it didn’t take long before questions began to emerge. Former US Marine Paul Whelan has been held on false charges in Russia for nearly four years. Why wasn’t he prioritized in the deal? Then there is teacher Mark Fogel, who was sentenced to 14 years in prison for possessing medical marijuana (very similar to Griner’s charge). The White House won’t even acknowledge his plight, having not designated him as being wrongfully detained.
As the Biden administration told it, though, Whelan was never on the table. Instead, the Russians insisted that the trade had to be for Griner or no one. Yet, astute observers noted how little sense that makes. Why would Russia want to make the choice easy for Biden? Wouldn’t they gain much more from making him make a choice between two Americans? And why would the Russians want to give up Griner before Whelan given that Griner is a public figure and obviously more valuable?
Sure enough, there’s evidence emerging that the White House’s story isn’t exactly accurate. For example, NBC News originally reported via a senior government official that the Russians were offering either Griner or Whelan in the deal. Later on, the article was stealth edited to match the administration’s talking points. ...
