Former NFL star and current WFAN radio host Boomer Esiason was among those who slammed the US government for arranging the exchange of Brittney Griner for Russian arms dealer Victor Booth.
Griner was arrested and sentenced to prison for drug smuggling in February after bringing less than a gram of CBD oil into Russia. However, after many called for action to bring Griner home, the White House finally announced that it had completed a one-on-one prisoner exchange with Griner, nicknamed “The Merchant of Death,” and Bout.
While Esiason liked Griner’s release from a Russian prison, they didn’t like how dangerous the prisoner was.
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WNBA star and two-time Olympic gold medalist Brittney Griner is led out of a courtroom after a hearing in Khimki, near Moscow, Aug. 4, 2022.
(AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko, file)
Additionally, Paul Whelan, a Marine Corps veteran in Russian custody, was passed over by President Joe Biden in the exchange, as Dallas Cowboys defensive end Micah Parsons and others noted.
“I’m telling you, more people feel it,” Esiason said on “Boomer & Gio” Thursday morning. “I can tell you this right now. I know we’re all happy to have Brittney home, like we said before. But when you think about what we did to get a WNBA professional athlete back and leave the Marine Corps. trying to get out of there with nothing, nothing from the US government.”
In fact, Esiason is convinced that Russia used Griner as a way to free Bout from prison in the United States.
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“It’s not an equal exchange. It’s not,” he argued. “We all know what happened to Britney should never have happened.
“We look very sad. And listening to our president talk about this is a very sad feeling. I want to be happy, but I can’t be.
“You have a guy sentenced by the UN to 25 years in prison for meddling in civil wars in Africa and killing millions of people, and you trade him for a WNBA superstar? Okay.”
Esiason co-host Gregg Gionnatti added, “You gave up a merchant of death for Chrissakes. Couldn’t you get two back?”
Cherelle Griner (R), wife of Olympian and WNBA player Brittney Griner, is seen as part of a prisoner release at the White House in Washington, DC, on December 8, 2022, after U.S. President Joe Biden announced his release from Russian custody. an exchange involving Russian arms dealer Victor Booth.
(Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
US and Russian officials have expressed optimism in recent weeks about a potential deal for Griner. A senior Russian official said last week that a deal could be reached by the end of the year.
President Biden tweeted about Griner’s release. He was seen in photos with Vice President Kamala Harris and Griner’s wife, Cheryl Griner.
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“I spoke with Brittney Griner a few minutes ago,” the tweet read. “He’s safe. He’s on a plane. He’s going home.”
Bout’s replacement was returned in May. Booth was about to serve 25 years in federal prison on charges of conspiring to kill Americans associated with supporting a Colombian terrorist organization.
Nicknamed the “Merchant of Death,” it was best known for transporting its fleet of Soviet-era cargo planes to conflict hotspots in Africa.
Boomer Esiason attends the 2022 Paramount Upfront at 666 Madison Avenue on May 18, 2022 in New York City.
(Arturo Holmes/WireImage)
Whelan was imprisoned on espionage charges, which his family and the US government said were baseless.
Fox News’ Ryan Gaydos contributed to this report.