Maria Bartiromo just couldn’t help but get in a dig at Brittney Griner’s patriotism while announcing her release from a Russian prison camp after close to a year in custody for carrying a minuscule amount of cannabis oil through the Moscow airport back in February.
After interviewing a former FBI agent who questioned the “political motive” behind the Biden administration’s decision to swap Griner for the notorious Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, Bartiromo shared her own prediction about how the WNBA star’s character might be affected by her harrowing experience.
“I wonder if her stance on American freedom and liberty changes after what she went through, the horror show she had to face,” the Fox Business host said. “Of course, she did attack the national anthem in basketball back in the day.”
ADVERTISEMENT
Over on the Fox News mothership, anchor Bill Hemmer reported the story by saying that the White House “had to know they would come under pressure and likely public criticism” given that the prisoner swap did not include former U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who was originally floated as part of a potential deal.
When one of his guests made the point that Whelan’s espionage charges, even if they are unfounded, are “much more serious” than what Griner was charged with, making a deal more complicated, Hemmer pushed back.
“I get the point you’re making,” Hemmer said. “But if it’s a bad deal, why make a deal at all?”
