Barstool Sports President Dave Portnoy said President Joe Biden got fleeced trading “the merchant of death” for WNBA star Brittney Griner.
Griner was released Thursday in exchange for notorious arms dealer Viktor Bout, also known as the “Merchant of Death.” Griner was arrested in February after she was allegedly caught with cannabis oil at a Moscow airport. She was sentenced to nine years in a Russian penal colony in August.
Portnoy said while he’s “happy” Griner is back in the U.S., he added, “having said that, Viktor Bout, that’s who we traded to get Brittney Griner back? Um the guy’s nickname is the ‘Merchant of Death.’ He’s an international terrorist, he’s an international arms dealer … basically if you want to kill Americans thats where you get your weapons from. That’s who we traded for Brittney Griner?”
Hot Boy Walk Rant #1 – Biden Got Fleeced pic.twitter.com/CFDQrXSMwL
— Dave Portnoy (@stoolpresidente) December 8, 2022
“This is the worst trade in the history of all time. In fact, it’s basically irresponsible by Biden, like what the fuck are you doing?” Portnoy continued. (RELATED: Micah Parsons Held His Ground For Only An Hour Before Apologizing For Joe Biden Snipe)
Portnoy said it’s hard not to feel that Griner was freed because of her celebrity status and lobbying from fellow celebrities while former Marine Paul Whelan remains captive in Russia due to less publicity.
“This trade feels like a PR stunt… that trade makes no sense. I don’t care what side of the aisle you’re on. Biden got absolutely fleeced.”
Portnoy also said that regardless of Griner’s political affiliations, no American should be prisoner in a foreign nation.
Portnoy isn’t the only celebrity to criticize the seemingly unequal trade. NFL star Micah Parsons also criticized the trade deal. Parsons took a jab at Biden, saying “wait nah!! We left a marine? Hell nah.”
Then in a since-deleted follow up tweet Parsons said he would still not be voting for Biden. Parsons later apologized for the series of tweets and said he was uneducated on the topic.