Definitely getting played. We’re talking about trading a Russian arms dealer who was given a 25 year prison sentence in 2011.
The United States has exchanged Brittney Griner for Mr. Bout, who was convicted in 2011 on charges including conspiring to kill American citizens.
www.nytimes.com
“Russian officials have pressed for Mr. Bout’s return since his conviction in 2011 by a New York jury on four counts that included conspiring to kill American citizens. Prosecutors said he had agreed to sell antiaircraft weapons to drug enforcement informants who were posing as arms buyers for the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
The attorney general at the time, Eric Holder, called Mr. Bout (pronounced “Boot”) “one of the world’s most prolific arms dealers.” Mr. Bout became notorious among American intelligence officials, earning the nickname “Merchant of Death” as he evaded capture for years. His exploits helped inspire a 2005 film, “Lord of War,” that starred Nicolas Cage as a character fashioned after Mr. Bout.”
www.zerohedge.com
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