Trump says he rejected Russia's deal to swap Paul Whelan for Viktor Bout 

Former President Donald Trump said on Sunday that he turned down a deal from Russia that sought to exchange arms dealer Viktor Bout for ex-U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who has been in a Russian prison for four years. 

“I turned down a deal with Russia for a one-on-one swap of the so-called Merchant of Death for Paul Whelan,” Trump claimed, adding that he would have freed Whelan eventually. 

Whelan, 52, was imprisoned in Russia in 2018 on alleged espionage charges. He is currently surviving a 16-year sentence. 

“The Merchant of Death,” as Bout is commonly known, is a former Soviet military officer serving a 25-year federal prison sentence for conspiring to sell weapons to people who allegedly planned to kill Americans, reported The New York Times. The Kremlin has demanded Bout’s release for years.

“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.

Trump’s comments come after the Biden administration made a deal last week to exchange Viktor Bout for WNBA basketball player Brittney Griner. 

Griner, 31, was arrested in February at the Moscow airport after officials allegedly found hashish oil in her luggage. Griner pleaded guilty to the drug charges against her at a trial in Russia on July 7 and now faced up to ten years in prison. 

Whelan criticized the recent prisoner exchange between the U.S. and the Kremlin when it was announced. The former Marine said that the Biden administration negotiated with Russia for the release of someone who “hates our country.”

Trump also said that the one-to-one swap of Griner for Bout was "crazy and bad," adding "The taking wouldn't have even happened during my Administration, but if it did, I would have gotten her out, fast!"