WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement on the Biden Administration’s prisoner swap to bring home Brittney Griner home in exchange for Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer nicknamed the Merchant of Death:
“It is always good news when an American returns home after being wrongfully detained abroad. I am glad for Brittney Griner and her family, and wish her the best as she returns home to her loved ones. Something every American should take from this situation is that no American is safe in places under Russian jurisdiction or influence. It must be clear that Paul Whelan should have been part of this deal; he is a Marine who fought for our country, and he is a hero. He has spent four years unjustly held and badly mistreated in Russian prisons. The Biden Administration cannot forget him now that Griner has been released.”
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