(TheLastPatriotNews.com) – In a move signifying well-justified suspicions of the Biden-Harris administration, former President Donald Trump has demanded additional specifics regarding the extensive prisoner exchange that resulted in the liberation of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan from Russian detainment.
Reacting to this pivotal event, Trump used the platform of Truth Social to both showcase his administration’s accomplishments in conducting prisoner swaps and to raise probing questions about the terms of the current deal orchestrated under the Biden administration.
“So when are they going to release the details of the prisoner swap with Russia? How many people do we get versus them? Are we also paying them cash? Are they giving us cash (Please withdraw that question, because I’m sure the answer is NO)?” he wrote.
Trump’s skepticism extended further as he queried the nature of the individuals being exchanged by the U.S., asking, “Are we releasing murderers, killers, or thugs? Just curious because we never make good deals, at anything, but especially hostage swaps.”
This statement underscores his longstanding concern that the United States may not negotiate effectively on the international stage, particularly in situations involving hostage or detainee swaps.
Expanding on his criticism, Trump suggested that the exchange might set a detrimental standard, elaborating that providing cash to a foreign adversary sets a “bad precedent for the future.”
“They are extorting the United States of America. They’re calling the trade ‘complex’ – That’s so nobody can figure out how bad it is!” he wrote.
In a direct rebuttal during a White House briefing, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan addressed these criticisms by clarifying the terms of the agreement.
He assured the public that no financial transactions occurred and no sanctions were relaxed in the negotiation process, countering the narrative of financial exchange posited by Trump.
On the same day, President Joe Biden announced that the prisoner exchange not only secured the freedom of Gershkovich and Whelan but also involved Alsu Kurmasheva and Vladimir Kara-Murza.
He noted that this marked the most significant exchange with Russia since the Cold War era, involving additional figures such as five Germans and seven Russian citizens recognized as political prisoners.
Trump, who has been vocally critical of Biden’s handling of American detentions in Russia, had previously cast doubt on Biden’s ability to secure Gershkovich’s release, given that the reporter had been detained in Russia for over a year.
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