Trading Bad Guys for Celebrities Puts Americans at Risk
As Secretary of State, nothing was more rewarding than bringing home Americans held hostage in foreign countries. Returning individuals like Pastor Andrew Brunson (who was represented by my now colleagues at the ACLJ), or three Christians held in North Korea to their families will always remain some of my proudest accomplishments during my time as Secretary. Likewise, we should all be glad to see Brittney Griner return safely after being held in Russia for nearly ten months. It is always a good thing to bring Americans home. Unfortunately, the Biden Administration’s execution of this deal will only put more Americans at risk in the future.
Every hostage negotiation is complicated. When my team and I engaged in them, our goal was to always bring every American back, while at the same time ensure that in doing so, we were not increasing the risk that more Americans would be taken in the future. This is common sense. If our adversaries – not just Russia, but places like Iran and China – feel they can take American celebrities and use them to get back their own high-value targets, hostage negotiations across the board shift to our disadvantage, and Americans everywhere are put at risk. That’s why when we brought individuals like Pastor Brunson home, we ensured that we did it the right way.
Unfortunately, that isn’t what happened in the deal to trade Viktor Bout for Brittney Griner. Let’s be clear: Ms. Griner was clearly arrested and charged for political reasons. Her arrest occurred shortly before Putin’s invasion of Ukraine, and the harsh treatment she received indicates that Vladimir Putin viewed her as potential political leverage. Viktor Bout, on the other hand, was an extremely high-value target for Vladimir Putin; Bout did not earn the nickname “Merchant of Death,” for no reason. He supplied arms to both sides in Angola's brutal civil war, and he supplied weapons to warlords and governments from the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo to Sudan and Libya. In the course of his career, he actively put Americans at risk by arming terrorist organizations, like Al Qaeda and the Taliban, which meant America harm. This is a bad man, and any responsible Administration should have only let him return to Russia at a high price. In trading him, Team Biden should have also insisted on bringing home Paul Whelan, a former Marine who has been held in Russia for years, as well as Ms. Griner. Doing otherwise rewarded Putin for taking an American without justifiable cause.
For the Biden Administration to allow Putin’s gross political ploy to succeed is bad news for Americans. Holding an American passport is supposed to mean something. It’s not just an indicator of citizenship; it is a guarantee that whoever holds it has the most powerful country in the world behind them. If a foreign government treats someone with a U.S. passport unfairly or unlawfully, the United States must always go to bat for them. But Biden’s decision to release Viktor Bout in exchange for Brittney Griner turns a U.S. passport into a bullseye for Americans traveling in hostile countries. It is a signal to Vladimir Putin and the rest of our adversaries that taking Americans hostage will be rewarded, not punished.
It also raises the cost for every American currently held hostage. If Biden traded a man like Viktor Bout for Brittney Griner, think of what Putin will demand in exchange for Paul Whelan. Think of what warlords and bad guys around the world will now demand in exchange for the hundreds of hostages that are yet to come home. President Biden just made hostage negotiations far more difficult and costly.
It did not have to be this way. When we in the Trump Administration sought to bring home Americans, we did it the right way. When the Turkish government held Pastor Andrew Brunson unfairly, we introduced tariffs and sanctions. We created leverage, and we used it. President Biden failed to do this – he let Putin stay in the driver’s seat and gave him exactly what he wanted. We should welcome Brittney Griner home and celebrate her return, but we should not applaud President Biden’s weakness.