Biden releases criminals, gives in to blackmail from enemies like Russia

The prisoner exchange between Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin has been one of the most controversial decisions the president has made since taking office. It not only seems ill-advised, but it could also set an extremely dangerous precedent for the security of Americans.

There has been widespread criticism of the decision to opt for the bring in Brittney Griner, a basketball star who allegedly "hates America," rather than Paul Whelan, a Marine who was detained while serving his country. It seems the swap may have benefited Russia far more than the United States.

Biden recently decided to release Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer and former military officer, who was serving a 25-year prison sentence on charges of conspiracy to kill Americans, exporting anti-aircraft missiles, and supporting a terrorist organization.

In exchange, Biden asked Putin for Griner's release. She is an athlete who was arrested at Moscow airport and sentenced to nine years in prison for carrying a vape and a liquid containing cannabis, which apparently helped her to ease the pain caused by her intensive basketball activities.

"Bout is no ordinary rogue actor. He is linked to Putin himself through Igor Sechin, a former KGB agent, current CEO of Rosneft and one of the most influential people in Putin's circle," explained Rebekah Koffler, a Russia expert and former Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) intelligence officer.

In fact, Koffler felt now that Bout was released, he could play an important role in the Russo-Ukrainian war, as the ex-military officer could support Putin with arms supplies and harm Kiev.

"He is a huge fish, a high-value asset for Putin, compared to Griner," the specialist opined.

However, that is not the end of the problem, as this decision could put other American citizens abroad at risk. It appears they could even be detained and used as bait to blackmail the Biden administration and get their way.

Bob Menendez, senator from New Jersey and chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, criticized Biden' s decision and invited "deep reflection" on the "serious problem with the taking of American hostages."

Likewise, Menéndez stressed that there is no equivalence between people like Griners and those like Bout, which is why, in his opinion, releasing the so-called "merchant of death" is a decision that can even be considered "deeply disturbing".

Does freeing criminals become state policy?

These types of negotiations are not new and it seems that they are beginning to become state policy. Instead of allowing justice to be done in the United States, Biden has decided to release criminals left and right regardless of the fact that it is revealing to the world an image of weakness. It demonstrates that it has not been able to achieve its objectives by its own means and instead prefers to negotiate.

Last November, Biden made a similar negotiation with Venezuela's dictator, Nicolás Maduro, and decided to free two drug traffickers in exchange for seven innocent Americans who had been imprisoned in the South American country. They are Maduro's "narco-brinos" who were arrested and accused of trafficking drugs to the United States.

"What this has done is two things: it has rewarded the Maduro regime and it has put a price on the heads of Americans everywhere in the world (...). Now all tyrants and dictators know that they can capture Americans after keeping them unjustly imprisoned, and they are going to be able to receive something in return," said Republican Senator Marco Rubio.

It remains to be seen how the Biden administration, which has made it clear that they are willing to ease sanctions and free criminals to favor authoritarian regimes such as Russia and Venezuela, will move forward with such negotiations.