US National anthem boycotter Brittney Griner, who has pleaded guilty to drug possession and smuggling charges during her trial in Moscow, is sitting in a Russian prison and one potential deal that could get her home is being knocked by a former DEA agent.
Rob “Zach” Zachariasiewicz penned an op-ed for USA Today in which he warned against making a trade of Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout for Griner and/or Paul Whelan, via Conservative Brief:
“Bout, who is known as the “Merchant of Death,” provided the fuel for conflicts across the globe. He was a critical player in the global illicit arms trade not because he could obtain weapons but because he could deliver his destructive cargo anywhere in the world through his control of a private fleet of military aircraft. And he did just that,” the former DEA agent said.
“A tremendous amount of resources and political capital were spent on the critical national security investigation into Bout’s actions. Lives were placed at risk, and tireless efforts were made. Now many voices are not being adequately considered in these deliberations over whether to free Bout in exchange for an American. Those voices include an entire generation of maimed and orphaned inhabitants of war-torn countries throughout the world, especially in Africa.”
