Exposing Donald Trump's phony outrage over Brittney Griner's release

WNBA superstar Brittney Griner went from being a political prisoner in Russia to becoming a political pawn in the United States.After 10 months in a Russian prison Griner is spending time with her wife and family at a military base in San Antonio, Texas, where she is undergoing medical evaluations.

I’m sure by now she’s heard all about the Donald Trump-inspired bile that accompanied her release, and is no doubt gearing up to answer some of the inevitable ugly questions about that.

Trump came out early on his social media website Truth Social saying, “What kind of a deal is it to swap Brittney Griner, a basketball player who openly hates our country for the man known as ‘The Merchant of Death’?”

Trump is referring to arms dealer Viktor Bout. Also, it should be noted that a person who hates racial injustice, or any injustice, is not the same as one who “openly hates our country.”

Trump refused a trade for Paul Whelan

What followed Trump’s hissy fit were complaints from Republican lawmakers about the deal, many griping about how U.S. citizen Paul Whelan should have been the one to be exchanged. (The Biden administration has said Russia wasn’t interested in that deal.)A lot sounded like Republican Rep. Mike Waltz of Florida, who tweeted, “Where is U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who has been unjustly held by Russia for far longer? Celebrities over veterans?”

Another view:Don't put Brittney Griner on pedestal now

What Waltz and others never seem to point out is that while Whelan was in the Marines he was convicted at a special court-martial on charges related to larceny and was given a bad-conduct discharge.Trump also said that he “turned down a deal” to trade Bout for Whelan, so why now the sudden interest?

Meantime, Fiona Hill, who was president and senior director for European and Russian affairs on the National Security Council from 2017 to 2019, said a possible deal for Whelan's release was “raised many times by the Russians” while she worked in the Trump administration, but never gained traction.

Hill added, “I also have to say here that President Trump wasn’t especially interested in engaging in that swap for Paul Whelan. He was not particularly interested in Paul's case in the way that one would have thought he would be.”

Uninformed, divisive stuff meant to help Trump

He’s interested now, of course, though it’s not because he dislikes Griner (although he does) or because he gives a damn about Whelan (because he doesn’t).

Trump is posting uninformed, divisive stuff like, “Why wasn’t former Marine Paul Whelan included in this totally one-sided transaction? He would have been let out for the asking,” only because he thinks it will help … Trump. Even if it is at the expense of a woman who spent 10 month in a Russian jail and a man who still languishes there.

We know this not simply because Trump always makes things about Trump, but because of what Whelan’s brother David wrote on Twitter:

He said, “Former President Trump appears to have mentioned my brother #PaulWhelan’s's wrongful detention more in the last 24 hours than he did in the 2 years of his presidency in which Paul was held hostage by #Russia (zero). I don’t suggest he cares now any more than he did then (zero).”

Reach Montini at ed.montini@arizonarepublic.com.

For more opinions content, please subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Exposing Trump's phony outrage over Brittney Griner's release