The White House’s claim that President Biden was not offered a 1 for 1 exchange between Marine Paul Whelan and Russia’s “Merchant of Death” Viktor Bout appears to be a lie according to a now altered NBC report and Russian media.
A senior government official reportedly told NBC news that Russia offered a 1 for 1 exchange between Whelan and Bout that was turned down by the Biden administration.
“A senior U.S. official told NBC News that the U.S. government had sought to have both Griner and Whelan released as part of a swap with the Kremlin, which wanted the return of Viktor Bout, a Russian arms dealer who has served 11 years of a 25-year sentence in the U.S. But the official said Russia has treated Whelan differently because he is an accused spy, and that the Kremlin gave the White House the choice of either Griner or Whelan — or none.”
The original NBC report, which has since been edited to mimic the White House’s apparently false claim, was also supported by Russian media.
“The edit is of course nonsense. Russian media is reporting today that Biden was given the option between Griner and Whelan and they chose Griner because she is a black lesbian, and Whelan is a white male who for all intents and purposes was/is an American hero for doing his job,” reported Ian Miles Cheong on Twitter.
So, there is an update on the original NBC News report, but where the report is shared else where, there is no correction or update of any kind. A complete mess for NBC. pic.twitter.com/VV8AoFYMmN
— David Hookstead (@dhookstead) December 9, 2022
