It seems that major Republican figures, while constantly preaching for their freedoms as Americans, are losing it over a Black lesbian American becoming a free woman.
Far-right mouthpieces have been showing their a**es since her release from Russian imprisonment in exchange for the surrender of criminal Viktor Bout was announced.
Everyone from Inglorious MTG to Tomi Karen came out to critique President Biden’s decision to negotiate the release of a political prisoner who has brought the US multiple gold medals at the Olympic games.
They can take this B.S. to Truth Social, because the rest of us aren’t biting:
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Another reason to impeach Biden.
The President of the United States traded Russian terrorist arms dealer, Viktor Bout, left a U.S. Marine in Russian jail, and brought home a professional basketball player.
How many people will Viktor Bout now kill bc Biden set him free?
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) December 8, 2022
No one cuts better deals than Biden. We get an awful America hating WNBA player, while Russia gets an INTERNATIONAL ARMS DEALER!!! The adults are back! https://t.co/zPMKzuB2SA
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) December 8, 2022
I wonder if Brittney Griner will sing and stand for the National Anthem now that the United States has compromised national security to free her?… #BrittneyGriner
— Tomi Lahren (@TomiLahren) December 8, 2022
“The choice of Griner over Whelan may reflect the preferences of Biden’s political base. The WNBA star and celebrity is also a black lesbian, who protested the U.S. national anthem. Whelan is a middle-aged white man” and U.S. Marine
— Michael Savage (@ASavageNation) December 8, 2022
Unfortunately Marc Fogel and Paul Whelan made the mistake of being white men. The rules of intersectionality dictate that the black woman gets freed first. That’s one of the primary factors driving this, whether we want to admit it out loud or not. https://t.co/LBgqpwefY4
— Matt Walsh (@MattWalshBlog) December 8, 2022
Related: Two gay prisoners fall in love in postwar Germany in ‘Great Freedom’
In addition to opposing Griner’s freedom, they can’t believe that Biden has not also freed political prisoner and veteran Paul Whelan, who was imprisoned during their lord and savior Donald’s reign.
The Don took to Truth Social to rant about the swap, asking, “Why wasn’t former Marine Paul Whelan included in this totally one-sided transaction? He would have been let out for the asking. What a ‘stupid’ and unpatriotic embarrassment for the USA!!!”
According to former National Security Advisor John Bolton, Donald refused that exact Whelan-Bout exchange back in 2018 (even while kissing up to Putin at all times).
On the other hand, Whelan and his family endorsed the exchange for Griner’s release. Whelan himself told CNN, “They’ve put me at a level higher than what they did with Trevor [Reed] and Brittney,” while his family applauded the Administration for making “the deal that was possible, rather than waiting for one that wasn’t going to happen.”
Related: Donald Trump throws Brittney Griner under the bus
While conservatives lose whatever they have left of their collective minds, Brittney is living her most liberated life.
In her first post since her release, the player showed herself touching down and wrapping her wife Cherelle up in an embrace.
Her smile is so wonderful to see:
View this post on Instagram
“It feels so good to be home,” Griner writes. “The last 10 months have been a battle at every turn. I dug deep to keep my faith and it was the love from so many of you that helped keep me going. From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone for your help.”
She acknowledges a whole host of people for helping her get her freedom, including her biggest supporter and the Admin that got her home.
“I am grateful to each person who advocated for me, especially my wife, Cherelle Griner … and of course, a special thank you to President Biden, Vice President Harris, Secretary Blinken and the entire Biden-Harris Administration.
“President Biden, you brought me home and I know you are committed to bringing Paul Whelan and all Americans home too. I will use my platform to do whatever I can to help you. I also encourage everyone that played a part in bringing me home to continue their efforts to bring all Americans home. Every family deserves to be whole.”
Finally, she expressed her intention to continue playing the sport she loves.
“I also want to make one thing very clear: I intend to play basketball for the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury this season, and in doing so, I look forward to being able to say ‘thank you’ to those of you who advocated, wrote, and posted for me in person soon.”
Neoprene
The funniest part of this was at the beginning when WNBA executives used the media attention on Griner’s abduction to whine that one of the league’s stars HAD to play in Russia during the off-season just to survive. LOL! Well, them’s the rules of capitalism, kids. Basketball is entertainment. If you don’t produce a product that brings in all the bucks from the various sources (fans, cable/network tv, corporations, etc.) like the NBA, well, OFF to Russia you go!
I was hoping she’d have to sit a few years while Putin used her as a play thing to manipulate Americans from opposing political camps, which ain’t hard to do.
BLAKENOW
hey Neoprene you are a disgrace to any community for saying what you just did. Pure scum. nothing else to say to you but love yourself more , clearly you are in pain and need of therapy, hurt people say hurtful things and you have said enough for quite some time.
Neoprene
“Hurt people say hurtful things.” Did you get that from your therapist? If so, ask for more than cliches from them, as well as your money back.
thebaddestbabby
the much better version is “hurt people hurt people”
bachy
I sincerely hope that the Griner debacle teaches American travelers that many of our freedoms are considered illegal in foreign countries – and if you travel to those countries, you are required to play by their rules.
Wise up, you fcukin’ hayseeds!
southernway
Agreed-and t is an an example of privileged thought “I am a professional athlete-I can do what I want despite the laws and the warnings not to being illegal substances into another country”. Oh and BTW I bet she had to do a lot of apologizing to government officials so they don’t look too hard on her stance of playing the National Anthem.
cuteguy
I truly hate the GQP, including garbage like MTG, but we shouldn’t have negotiated with Russia over an entitled WNBA player who went to a place like Russia and not bother playing by the rules, no pun intended.
thebaddestbabby
her status as a basketball player is irrelevant. She is a civilian who was jailed on bogus charges for reasons that were OBVIOUSLY not about anything that she did.
storm45701
Trump released 5,000 Taliban prisoners including the notorious Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, in exchange for… nothing. So tell us again about putting Americans at risk, Republicans.
Kangol2
Thank you. Let’s say it again:
“Trump released 5,000 Taliban prisoners including the notorious Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, in exchange for… nothing.”
Well, in exchange for those prisoners the Taliban retook control of Afghanistan and the rest is history. After a horrible, disastrous, 20-year war started by George W. Bush to capture Osama bin Laden, who wasn’t even in Afghanistan, but Pakistan! (Obama eventually had bin Laden taken out in Pakistan years later!)
GlobeTrotter
I have mixed feelings about this one. On one hand Griner has a proven track record of domestic violence and hating the American flag. Plus, however you look at it, she DID violate the laws of Russia. She even admitted it during her trial and apologized for doing so. On the other hand the sentence she received was so out of proportion to the amount of cannabis oil found in her possession that any rational person would be forced to conclude that Russia’s was using her as a pawn to make a political statement.
Then there’s the stinging comment of a Russian pundit on a Russian news show: “Griner’s black, female and lesbian, she ticks all the boxes of the woke political elite in America. As a white, straight male, it’s clear that Paul Whelan never stood a chance during prisoner negotiations”. I was skeptical at first when I heard that, but on further reflection, I’m no longer sure he’s entirely wrong. During Griner’s ordeal the mainstream news media wasted no time parading her wife on air giving several tearful interviews at every opportunity. In every news reports on Griner all you heard every few minutes was “her wife”, “and her wife said” and “but according to her wife”, etc. Her wife was even featured prominently in the White House where she was warmly embraced by Biden like a long lost friend. The words of that Russian pundit came cynically to mind, since Griner’s wife, also black, lesbian and female, ticked all the boxes of the woke crowd.
Before anyone jumps down my throat for being anti-LGBTQ etc., I can only say that I don’t remember Paul Whelan or any member of his family given this much prominent coverage leading up to negotiations with the Russians. So is there a bias here? I’m strongly inclined to say yes, it does seem that Griner was given preferential treatment by the press as well as the Biden administration because of her identity. In addition, we shouldn’t forget that Paul Whelan has been languishing in Russian prison for the past FOUR YEARS, and has strenuously denied the charges against him.
Chrisk
Gee maybe that’s because his is a more serious charge of espionage and with his background of being dishonorably discharged from the military, theft of $10K he ain’t exactly ticking anyone’s boxes.
GlobeTrotter
Griner has several domestic violence incidents under her belt plus she has publicly expressed her disdain for America on several occasions prior to being arrested in Russia. Yet she ticked all the boxes of the woke crowd. A double standard?
Kangol2
@Globetrotter, the US had the opportunity to get Whelan out when Don the Con was president. His buddy Putin made an offer and Don the Con turned it down. John Bolton and others in the Con administration have publicly admitted this. Do you realize this or are you ignoring it? Biden has been president for TWO YEARS, not FOUR. So are you going to acknowledge this or just regurgitate this racist, homophbic “woke” comparison narrative crap?
Since Biden has taken office he allegedly has been negotiating to get Whelan out, but as Chrisk says, the charges against him, including espionage, are far more serious than Griner’s. And yet you vomit up Russian propaganda on here about these cases, without ever addressing the merits of Whelan’s case. I mean, come on, GlobeTrotter, do better!
[email protected]
People are allowed to hate the American flag, because it’s the people who claim to love it and demand respect for it , don’t treat others with that same respect …..and those who are upset she got released over a marijuana vape , who has the need to see other suffer and punish and then label her release privilege…….you are some of the Lowest life forms …..I guess misery is your normal ,
Openminded
Globetrotter, I can appreciate your willingness to see and admit that there are some questions to be asked in regards to BG’s release before Whelan’s. We only know what the press lets us know and it sells many more papers to put BG on the front page than a white military man. Sadly, you have already seen the typical response here from the usual crowd who refuses to consider that maybe, just maybe, a gay person got a bit of preferential treatment because it might just give Biden some brownie points. I’m very pleased that BG is free and back home. I believe the real problem is nobody in this world seems to be addressing the root problem, which is obviously that Russia is willing to terrorize any American who enters that country and detain them until we give them what they want. I’d prefer to see America ban all Americans from entering Russia and expel all Russians from this country.
Brian
This is tinfoil hat nonsense. Biden did not willingly “leave behind” any white people. Russia simply didn’t want to let the higher-security prisoners out.
How do so many Americans have such a weak grasp on reality? Nonsense just takes off and people eat it up. It’s astonishing how stupid people can be.
BigTX
With the exception of storm45701, I find you all’s comments concerning and confusing. Why is her release being made into a black vs white thing and that she is an American? Also, to call her a “privileged” athlete that can do whatever she wants, is really reaching. Yes, she messed up. No, she should not have had any cannibas on her, but the punishment did not at all fit the crime.
Also, this notion that she was prioritized over a white man is absurd. It has been reported everywhere that Whelan being set free was NOT an option that Russia would accept. It was Griner only or no one, so why should she not be given the chance to be set free? She is an American, regardless of her race, gender, sexual orientation, or celebrity status.
And don’t get me started on Donald Dump, who had a chance to bring Whelan home years ago, but looked the other way and let 5000 Taliban go and the U.S. received nothing in return. Where is the outrage about that? But now that a black lesbian has been set free, people want to be all outraged. Get the f*@k out of here with that!
Chrisk
They’re just parroting what they hear from Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson.
Kangol2
Thank you! Of course they’ve racialized and gendered it in part to trash not just Griner but Biden, but the fact remains, that corrupt, treasonous psychopath who was in office from 2017 to 2021 didn’t lift a finger to get Paul Whelan out when he could, and as you see, they’re silent about it. Well, members of his administration aren’t, but the Hannity-Carlson-Bannon gang and their puppets sure are!
Mack
‘If you are upset about Brittney Griner protesting our National Anthem, wait until I tell you about the time a bunch of rabid trumpers attacked our Capitol and beat police officers with flagpoles flying the American flag.’
Openminded
Does nobody find it odd that Queerty took so long to even acknowledge the release and return of BG? I pretty much quit visiting this site due to the vapid attacks anytime someone posted anything that didn’t follow lock step with the attitude of “Queers and Democrats are the only thing right and everybody else is low life cretin” , but revisited after BG’s release to read deeper into the details. Strangely it took almost a week for Queerty to find out and report everything we already knew. On a side note, I notice that Cam has quieted down in my absence along with the angry guy from Africa seems to be gone. Maybe I will have to return more often and see if this site is a more tolerable source for queer news.