Elon Musk posted a Tweet on Friday morning to express his thoughts on President Biden’s prisoner swap with Russia. The swap involved the release of American basketball star Brittney Griner in exchange for a Russian prisoner.
Elon Musk blasts Biden’s prisoner swap with Russia for Griner
On Thursday, Biden revealed that in return for Griner, the US would free Russian arms seller Viktor Bout, who was condemned to 25 years in prison for providing weapons used to attack Americans.
Musk stated on Friday that the United States should “never” leave one of its own soldiers behind.
“Never leave a marine behind. Never,” Musk tweeted in response to a user who questioned him about his views. His tweet comes early Friday, few hours ahead of Griner being welcomed home in the U.S.
Never leave a marine behind. Never.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 9, 2022
The Twitter boss was replying to Catturd who had asked: “Does it surprise anyone the Biden regime would leave a Marine behind after they abandoned Americans in Afghanistan?” The Tesla CEO had also helped lift the same Twitter user’s shadowban in October.
Paul Whelan left behind again, his family urges for his release
The agreement specifically excludes American Paul Whelan, an Iraqi war veteran imprisoned in Russia since 2018. Marc Fogel, a Pennsylvania instructor detained by Russia, was likewise excluded from the Griner agreement.
Whelan had wondered, “Why was I left behind?” when fellow Marine veteran Trevor Reed was released in a swap in April.
“I have been held on a fictitious charge of espionage for 40 months,” he declared from his Moscow prison at the time. “The world knows this charge was fabricated,” he added of the 16-year sentence, which has been heavily criticized in the U.S.
He challenged Biden, who claimed credit for releasing Reed in return for a Russian pilot who was a major international narcotics trafficker. Even Reed later termed the Biden administration’s decision to release him without Whelan “wrong.”
“We’ve not forgotten about Paul Whelan. We will keep negotiating in good faith for Paul’s release,” Biden said on Thursday.
On Thursday, Whelan’s brother David branded the new trade “a catastrophe” for the veteran, who is widely considered a captive.
