Today on their talk show, the co-hosts of The View retaliated against Republicans who condemned President Joe Biden for dealing international arms dealer Viktor Bout for WNBA player Brittney Griner, who had been incarcerated in a Russian prison since February.
Whoopi Goldberg questioned why “nobody’s whining” about former president Donald Trump’s release of 5,000 Taliban members, whom she claimed he “sold for no one” when politicians such as Mike Pompeo and Adam Kinzinger argued the bargain set a dangerous precedent.
Alyssa Farah Griffin, who worked in the administration of the previous president at the time, stated to the panel that she was opposed to this move, which Trump allegedly took in an effort “to get the Taliban on board with the peace efforts,” which ultimately failed.
Comparing these scenarios, Sunny Hostin pointed out the “blatant hypocrisy” at play. Although she feels “conflicted” about talking with terrorists, she disagrees with Pompeo’s comments of trading “a terrorist for a celebrity.”
“[Griner is] an individual. She is a living being. She is a beloved individual and an American,” Hostin stated. So it’s not only about celebrities, but about Americans.
After discussing Griner’s release, the host discussed Paul Whelan, a former marine who has been held in Russia since 2018 and remains there after Griner’s release. Noting that he was seized “under the eyes of President Trump,” Hostin stated that the former president “did nothing” and that “we never heard about it.”
After reading tweets from Whelan’s family members claiming Trump “was not prepared or interested in working toward” his release and criticizing him for mentioning Whelan’s name “more times in the last 24 hours than he did in the two years of his presidency,” Hostin exclaimed, “How dare you, former twice-impeached, one-term, president, say this. How dare you.”
Griffin added that “making this a partisan issue accomplishes nothing,” while Ana Navarro expressed surprise that the “quiet” right-wing “suddenly came out” over Whelan. She even suggested that, if they cared so much, Republicans should go after him themselves.
“All of these individuals have excellent relationships with Putin…. Donald Trump is a well-known figure in Russia. “He maintains that they are extremely close friends,” Navarro added. “What’s that? They can do like Bill Richardson does and immediately board a plane to retrieve Paul Whelan. If they are so concerned about Paul Whelan.”
ABC airs The View weekdays at 11 p.m. / 10 p.m.