# Brittney Griner released in prisoner swap **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [December 8, 2022, 1:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brittney-griner-released-in-prisoner-swap/976202 "2022-12-08T13:19:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 9
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brittney-griner-released-in-prisoner-swap/976202/161 "2022-12-11T21:14:04Z")
Hey, @Magiver, I looked through your posts to find criticism of Trump calling the Swedish Prime Minister to release a no-name rapper named ASAP Rocky (done so at the behest of KanYe and KimKe) and could not find anything. However, I am sure this is due to my poor search capabilities and definitely not through any partisan leanings on your part. Would love the citation! ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brittney-griner-released-in-prisoner-swap/976202/162 "2022-12-11T21:28:41Z")
> [@iiandyiiii](#): > > Not nearly as strange as invading a large sovereign country for no reason other than conquest ( We’re talking about Iraq here, right? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brittney-griner-released-in-prisoner-swap/976202/163 "2022-12-11T21:30:31Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#): > > Do you likewise feel that the US got played when Trump released convicted Russian agent [Maria Butina](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-russia-butina/russian-agent-butina-released-from-u-s-prison-deported-idUSKBN1X4176) entirely for free, _with no swap whatsoever_? And that she now sits in Russian parliament? Have you researched this? She was serving an 18 month sentence and was due for release in early November of 2019. She was released in late October. [Reuters Oct 25 2019](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-russia-butina/russian-agent-butina-released-from-u-s-prison-deported-idUSKBN1X4176) - Butina, 31, had been scheduled for release from the low-security prison in Tallahassee in early November, but a change in federal law moved up her release date based on credit for good behavior, her attorney Robert Driscoll said. So she was released a couple of weeks early and it had nothing to to with Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Guest-starring\_Id](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guest-starring_id/32/21736_2.png) [@Guest-starring\_Id](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guest-starring_Id)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brittney-griner-released-in-prisoner-swap/976202/164 "2022-12-11T21:46:12Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I already said I don’t expect Putin to be around much longer. I expect the war against Ukraine to end in 2023 along with Putin. Nope - Putin will obviously be around _much_ longer than 2023, which still leaves open the question as to how much longer would Griner’s sentence would’ve gotten grinded out, not to mention what guarantee there would have been of her release with a new despot in place. > [@Magiver](#): > > Don’t you think those people have suffered enough? Of course, and don’t recall stating otherwise. Chronology notwithstanding, we’ll take what we can get. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brittney-griner-released-in-prisoner-swap/976202/165 "2022-12-11T21:54:27Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > Hey, @Magiver, I looked through your posts to find criticism of Trump calling the Swedish Prime Minister to release a no-name rapper named ASAP Rocky (done so at the behest of KanYe and KimKe) and could not find anything. I had to look this up. If you’re referring to post 77 It’s a pay walled link. I don’t think anyone commented on it because they can’t read it. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brittney-griner-released-in-prisoner-swap/976202/166 "2022-12-11T22:01:10Z")
> [@Guest-starring\_Id](#): > > Nope - Putin will obviously be around _much_ longer than 2023, I guess we’ll see. But that’s my reasoning and it’s based on a large loss of Russian soldiers with no end in sight, massive economic sanctions, a lock-down on public speech and whatever other harm that Putin has brought down on his people. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 10:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brittney-griner-released-in-prisoner-swap/976202/167 "2022-12-11T22:05:10Z")
In the FWIW department, John Bolton stated that President Trump turned down a Whelan-for-Bout exchange in 2018. > **[Trump turned down Viktor Bout-for-Paul Whelan prisoner swap, John Bolton says](https://nypost.com/2022/12/08/trump-turned-down-viktor-bout-for-paul-whelan-prisoner-swap-john-bolton/)** > > Bolton recalled in an interview with CBS that he was in the midst of his 17-month tenure at the White House when Whelan was detained on concocted espionage charges in December 2018. Today, Mike Pompeo refused to confirm or deny that this happened. > **[Pompeo Stonewalls Fox’s Bream When Questioned on Bolton’s Claim Trump Admin...](https://www.mediaite.com/tv/pompeo-stonewalls-foxs-bream-when-questioned-on-boltons-claim-trump-admin-refused-bout-whelan-prisoner-exchange/)** > > Mike Pompeo refused to confirm or deny John Bolton's claim that Donald Trump refused the possibility of securing Paul Whelan's freedom by giving up Viktor Bout. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 11, 2022, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brittney-griner-released-in-prisoner-swap/976202/168 "2022-12-11T22:23:49Z")
It’s certainly true that Trump didn’t make that trade. The question is just whether he chose not to, or if he failed at it because he’s so incompetent at making deals. ---
**Author:** ![Railer13](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/railer13/32/9742_2.png) [@Railer13](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Railer13)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2022, 2:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brittney-griner-released-in-prisoner-swap/976202/169 "2022-12-12T02:27:16Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > The question is just whether he chose not to Straight from the horse’s mouth. [https://thehill.com/policy/international/3771158-trump-says-he-turned-down-deal-to-release-paul-whelan/](https://thehill.com/policy/international/3771158-trump-says-he-turned-down-deal-to-release-paul-whelan/) > “I turned down a deal with Russia for a one on one swap of the so-called Merchant of Death for Paul Whelan. I wouldn’t have made the deal for a hundred people in exchange for someone that has killed untold numbers of people with his arms deals,” ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2022, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brittney-griner-released-in-prisoner-swap/976202/170 "2022-12-12T02:28:39Z")
ninja’d ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2022, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brittney-griner-released-in-prisoner-swap/976202/171 "2022-12-12T03:07:11Z")
Yeah. I’m sure it went down _just like that_. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Zappa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/71e660/32.png) [@Mama\_Zappa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Zappa)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2022, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brittney-griner-released-in-prisoner-swap/976202/172 "2022-12-12T03:25:51Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > I wonder what these folks think about people who steal classified documents. It’s fine as long as you are a white, male, Republican. Griner is certainly not 2 of these, and I suspect not the third either. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Librarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_librarian/32/402_2.png) [@The\_Librarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Librarian)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2022, 8:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brittney-griner-released-in-prisoner-swap/976202/173 "2022-12-12T08:55:20Z")
He’s telling you it might be a tad hypocritical to criticize Biden’s administration for getting a two time Olympic champion released from Russia when you never complained at the inane and unsuccessful attempts of Trump to get a third rate rapper released from Sweden (a country not exactly know for mistreating prisoners). I agree with him. Parroting republican talking points tends to look stupid. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2022, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brittney-griner-released-in-prisoner-swap/976202/174 "2022-12-12T16:03:09Z")
Getting back to her normal routine is probably the best therapy for Brittany. I hope she doesn’t allow intense media scrutiny to mess up her head. > **[Brittney Griner has first basketball workout in 10 months, dunks in her...](https://www.cbssports.com/wnba/news/brittney-griner-has-first-basketball-workout-in-10-months-dunks-in-her-return-to-the-practice-court/)** > > Griner was released from a Russian penal colony last week ---
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 11:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brittney-griner-released-in-prisoner-swap/976202/175 "2022-12-13T11:23:47Z")
I hope the media will leave her alone and allow her the time and space she needs. I’m sure she’ll share what she wants to, when she’s ready. ---
**Author:** ![JKellyMap](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jkellymap/32/15880_2.png) [@JKellyMap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JKellyMap)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2022, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brittney-griner-released-in-prisoner-swap/976202/176 "2022-12-13T17:13:54Z")
Ms. Griner was generous and talkative (dialogue, not monologue) on the plane ride home. This speaks well of her, I think. US Special Envoy Roger Carstens recounts this (at 11 min 00 sec): > **[Monday Morning Politics: Sinema's Change, Griner's Release, and More | The...](https://www.wnyc.org/story/monday-morning-politics-12122022/)** > > The latest national political news with the New Yorker's Susan Glasser [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/brittney-griner-released-in-prisoner-swap/976202.md?page=8)