“He knew you don’t go in there loaded with drugs and he admitted it,” Trump said on the Clay Travis & Buck Sexton Show. “I guess he admitted it without too much force because it is what it is, and it certainly doesn’t seem like a very good trade, does it? He’s absolutely one of the worst in the world and he’s going to be given his freedom because a potential bastard is going to Russia loaded with drugs ». Trump was referring to reports that the United States is trying to secure the release of Griner and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who is known as “Merchant of Death” because of its arms sales that have fueled deadly conflicts around the world. “She went in there loaded with drugs into a hostile territory where they’re very careful about drugs,” Trump added. “They don’t like drugs. And they got her. And now we’re supposed to get her out—and she’s making, you know, a lot of money, I guess. We’re supposed to get her out. She’s an absolute killer and one of the biggest arms dealers in the world. She’s killed a lot of Americans. . He killed a lot of people.” BRITTNEY GRINER REVEALS TRANSLATION ISSUE AT HER FEBRUARY ARREST Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said earlier this week that while the Kremlin and US officials have engaged in talks, “there has been no concrete outcome yet.” “We proceed from the assumption that the interests of both parties should be taken into account during negotiations,” he said. Griner, WNBA champion and two-time Olympic gold medalist was arrested in Russia in February after customs officials found “vaporizers” containing hash oil in her luggage at an airport near Moscow. MARK FOGEL: FAMILY OF AMERICAN HELD IN RUSSIA ASKS BIDEN, BLINKEN TO ADD HIM TO BRITNEY GRINER DEAL The story continues Griner, who faces a possible 10 years in prison, pleaded guilty earlier this month in a move her legal team says “takes full responsibility for her actions.” Trump’s former secretary of state, Mike Pompeo, also suggested earlier this week that the proposed prisoner exchange is not a good idea. GREG GUTFELD: IS ‘MERCHANT OF DEATH’ TRADED FOR WNBA STAR BRITTNEY GRINER THE MOST UNEQUAL DEAL? “He’s a bad guy. He’s a guy who wanted to kill Americans. He’s a real danger to the United States. There’s a real reason the Russians want to bring him home. To offer a trade like this is a dangerous precedent.” Pompeo told “America’s Newsroom.” “This is not a good trade, it is not the right way forward, and it will likely lead to more,” Pompeo added. Russian officials have long pushed for the release of Bout, who is serving a 25-year sentence in a US prison after being convicted in 2011 of conspiracy to kill Americans, conspiracy to deliver anti-aircraft missiles and aiding a terrorist organization. Alleged Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout (R) walks through temporary cells before a hearing at the Bangkok Criminal Court August 20, 2010. Christophe Archambault/AFP via Getty Images He was arrested in 2008 in a sting operation at a luxury hotel in Bangkok, Thailandwhere he met with Drug Enforcement Agency informants posing as officials of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, which has been designated by U.S. officials as a narco-terrorist group. Prosecutors said Booth was ready provide the team worth $20 million “an impressive arsenal of weapons – including hundreds of surface-to-air missiles, machine guns and sniper rifles – 10 million rounds of ammunition and five tons of plastic explosives”. Joshua Q. Nelson of Fox News contributed to this report.
