Top Sen. Warns of What's Coming Now That Biden Freed 'Merchant of Death' - This Doesn't Look Good
Tom Cotton, the Republican senator from Arkansas, has been talking tough lately.
On Thursday, Cotton aimed his latest burst of strong rhetoric at the Biden administration’s disastrous deal to free WNBA player Brittney Griner. Russia released Griner in exchange for a Russian arms dealer named Viktor Bout.
Cotton criticized Biden’s deal on a call to Breitbart Editor-in-Chief Alex Marlow during a broadcast of the SiriusXM Patriot program “Breitbart News Daily.”
Cotton called the exchange “an incredible appeasement” of Vladimir Putin and Russia.
“Viktor Bout has the blood of hundreds, if not thousands, of innocents around the world on his hands,” he said.
As reported by USA Today, Bout was arrested in 2008 in Thailand as part of a sting operation. Bout thought he was selling surface-to-air missiles and other heavy armaments to Columbian rebels. During the investigation, Bout told undercover agents he was a sworn enemy of the United States. In 2012, Bout was sentenced to 25 years in prison.
Cotton delivered warnings of potential consequences for releasing Bout.
According to Cotton, the Biden administration’s trade signals foreign countries that imprisoned Americans can be used as bargaining chips.
“What does Joe Biden think is going to happen now?” he asked. “Every time someone wants to get their arms traffickers or their drug dealers out of American prison, all they have to do is arrest an American on some trivial charge and sentence them to nine years and Joe Biden is going to come running with the keys to the prison to release people who are justifiably in prison.”
Cotton stated the shocking decision endangered more Americans around the world, and was a victory for Putin.
Later in the call, Marlow asked if people will die due to this agreement. Cotton thought they would, and discussed the dangers posed by Bout.
“It’s not like he’s going to retire to the Black Sea and peacefully live out his golden years in a quiet retirement. Putin wanted him out for a reason,” Cotton said.
Cotton’s Senate page posted a further statement:
“Joe Biden’s prisoner swap with Vladimir Putin released Viktor Bout, the notorious ‘Merchant of Death’ who armed America’s worst enemies. And it left behind Paul Whelan, a Marine veteran who’s languishing in a Russian jail cell on trumped-up charges. Americans welcome the release of Brittney Griner, but it shouldn’t have come at the cost of releasing one of the world’s worst arms dealers and creating a dangerous precedent for our enemies: detain Americans and Democrats will agree to set your worst killers free.”
Last July, Russia expressed an interest in releasing both Griner and Whelan for Bout.
It’s no surprise Biden ended up leaving the veteran Whelan behind.
Biden caused one of the worst military catastrophes in United States history with the botched withdrawal from Afghanistan. Such mishandling suggests Biden doesn’t care about the service men and women who risk their lives for our country.
Griner, on the other hand, showed contempt for America in the past. She objected to the playing of the national anthem before basketball games, as reported by the Arizona Republic. Of course, that is the person the unpatriotic Biden administration prioritized.
Cotton’s tough talk on the matter came shortly after he delivered another public lambasting.
On Tuesday, Cotton scolded the CEO of Kroger for expecting Republican aid after forcing woke policies on employees. “I’m sorry that’s happening to you. Best of luck,” Cotton commented on a difficult merger Kroger is attempting.
If only Cotton would aim some of his ire at the calculatingly ineffective GOP leader Mitch McConnell, he might actually get some results. Cotton needs to take more effective actions to match his strong words.
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