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Former President Trump on Sunday said he turned down a deal to release former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who’s been detained by Moscow since 2018, in exchange for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout during his time in the White House.
“I turned down a deal with Russia for a one on one swap of the so-called Merchant of Death for Paul Whelan. I wouldn’t have made the deal for a hundred people in exchange for someone that has killed untold numbers of people with his arms deals,” Trump said on Truth Social.
Bout was released last week in exchange for WNBA star Brittney Griner, who spent about 10 months in Russian custody.
Trump criticized the deal soon after news broke of Griner’s release, saying Whelan should have been freed instead.
