Sen. Tom Cotton predicted people will die because of Biden's decision to trade Brittney Griner for an arms dealer

By 
 December 9, 2022

Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) predicted on Thursday that people would die as a result of leftist President Joe Biden's decision to swap Brittney Griner, a basketball player who was incarcerated, for notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.

Bout, also known as the "merchant of death," was a significant trade because rogue states will interpret the action as a license to arrest Americans, as Breitbart News reported.

Cotton made his comments during an interview on the Breitbart News Daily program on SiriusXM Patriot, which is hosted by Breitbart Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow.

Biden made an announcement confirming on Thursday that the administration and the Russian Foreign Ministry arranged a swap and that Griner and Bout were both free.

“As a result of the efforts made, we managed to agree with the American side to arrange an exchange of Viktor Bout for Brittney Griner. The Russian citizen has been returned to his homeland,” the Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed.

In a tweet, Biden claimed that he had spoken to Griner directly.

Cotton responds

Sen. Cotton responded in the affirmative when asked if Viktor Bout's release from jail will cause deaths by Alex Marlow.

“I think they will because, again, Viktor Bout is known as the merchant of death for a reason,” Sen. Cotton said. “It’s not like he’s going to retire to the Black Sea and peacefully live out his golden years in a quiet retirement. [Russian leader] Vladimir Putin wanted him out for a reason.”

Sen. Cotton also noted that his release would likely embolden the abduction and potential killing of more Americans.

“I also think that more Americans will be detained, in some cases unjustly detained, in the future because they realize that Joe Biden – at least as long as he is president – will give away the farm in return for any American citizen,” Sen. Cotton said.

International anger resulted when Griner was detained and given a nine-year prison term in Russia in August for possessing marijuana.

Griner was given a lengthy sentence for non-violent offenses, which was criticized by American authorities and campaigners as a clear political ploy to use her captivity to Moscow's advantage.

Background

Bout was apprehended in 2010 and given a 25-year prison term for conspiring to kill Americans, assisting terrorist organizations, and trafficking in weapons.

Bout was detained in a sting operation in which American DEA agents pretended to be possible buyers connected to the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a Marxist terrorist group. Bout was a known arms dealer with a long history of assisting international terrorists.

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