Andrew Schulz made a bold claim on Brittney Griner’s homecoming, leaving Merchant of Death out in the open

Andrew Schulz disapproves of the US administration letting go of Viktor Bout for securing Brittney Griner's return to American soil.

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On February 17, 2022, WNBA's Brittney Griner was detained by Russian authorities after being accused of having hashish oil (marijuana concentrate that has a high concentration of the psychoactive chemical THC) in her possession. The two-time Olympic Gold Medalist was traveling to Russia to rejoin UMMC Yekaterinburg (a team that she played for during her WNBA off-season).

The 32-year-old WNBA icon faced months of salvation and anxiety in the Russian penal colony as things seemed to only go haywire when her appeal of conviction was denied in October. With a 9-year sentence in the penal colony haunting Griner in the face, POTUS Joe Biden finally agreed to end her misery on December 8, 2022. The US administration approved a prisoner swap in Abu Dhabi, releasing arms dealer Viktor Bout to secure Brittney's homecoming.

While ex-marine Paul Whelan was left out of the deal, controversial Hollywood comedian Andrew Schulz condemned the move of Biden and his administration. Moreover, Schulz questioned the motive of this 'prisoner-swap' and how Paul Whelan (who has been helped captive for more than four years) was left out in the clutches of Russian officials.

Andrew Schulz questioned the motive behind Brittney Griner - Viktor Bout's prisoner swap

On an episode of 'The Flagrant' podcast, Andrew said, "But I think the issue with me as it seems like they made the trade for only Brittney for political points. It seems like it's a little bit of like a virtue signal if you will.

"I don't like the idea that we are gonna trade this 'Merchant of Death', a guy who is responsible for probably tens and thousands of deaths and (like) destabilization around the world which we are also responsible for. But it doesn't exactly feel like a fair trade. And if you are doing it just to get a PC pat on the back. It feels a little gross, right?"

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For those who are not aware, Viktor Bout is a prized possession for a powerful country like Russia as he has not only helped terrorist organizations in the past but is even rumored to hold top-tier secrets. He was accused of killing thousands and was still involved in controversial conspiracies. As a result of which, Bout was sentenced to serve 25 years in prison on American soil.

Should Paul Whelan be included in Brittney Griner - Viktor Bout's prisoner swap?

While one may feel that the US administration left ex-marine, Paul Whelan out, that isn't exactly the true case. As per the New York Times, American diplomats urged Russia to include Whelan in the prisoner swap for Viktor Bout, but the opposition's firm stance did not let it happen.

To bring everyone onto the same page, Paul Whelan was held captive in Moscow in December 2018 on espionage charges, which he has blatantly denied since the time. However, he was sentenced to 16 years in prison in June 2020.

After Griner's release, the ex-marine called CNN exclusively from his penal colony revealing his desperate hopes of Joe Biden and his administration doing everything to secure his return. Safe to say, it is about time for the US diplomats to bring home another hero trapped in foreign land regardless of the price they might have to pay at this point.