Were Republicans happy? No. Did they praise President Biden for bringing Brittney Griner home from a Russian prison camp? Nope. There is no issue they won't make into a partisan duck hunt.
Morning Joe listed many of the Republican reactions to Brittney Griner's release, and they did not reflect well on their party.
"Some Republicans meanwhile used Griner's release yesterday as a chance to criticize President Biden and in some cases, Brittney Griner herself," Willie Geist said.
A WNBA star picked up for marijuana, he left a marine behind. It's not an equal exchange.
We traded a basketball player for a known terrorist, a criminal. I hope Brittney realizes she lives in the greatest country in the world. The price of freedom isn't free, and I sure hope she'll stand for the national anthem now.
(Editor's note: I should have known that a Black woman's freedom must be conditional.)
Our president is so weak, he couldn't get these two guys for these one terrorist, really. It's shameful.
"On cable news and on social media throughout the day, a number of Republicans sounded off on the prisoner swap, one Georgia congresswoman called for impeaching President Biden over the exchange. You won't be surprised who that was. Pennsylvania congressman Scott Perry referred to Griner as, quote, an American who smuggles drugs. Again, she was arrested with vape cartridges at the airport in Moscow," Willie Geist said.
"Former President Trump posted on his social media site that Griner hates America. Called her release a stupid and unpatriotic embarrassment for the country."
"The hypocrisy is just absolutely insane. I mean, the same Republicans that were criticizing Joe Biden for not bringing Paul Whelan home failed to place blame on the man who was actually in the White House when Whelan was arrested illegally, jailed illegally. Why didn't Donald Trump do anything in 2018 to get Paul Whelan home? Why didn't he do anything in 2019 to get Paul Whelan home? Why didn't Donald Trump do anything in 2020 to get Paul Whelan home?" Joe Scarborough said.
He pointed out that Trump made a deal to release 5,000 members of the Taliban -- and got nothing in return.
As to those Republicans who want to make Brittney Griner's freedom condition on restricting her speech, I'd like to share something I first read back in 1989. It was an interview with James Warner, who was a POW in Vietnam:
I remember one interrogation where I was shown a photograph of some Americans protesting the war by burning a flag.
"There,'' the officer said. "People in your country protest against your cause. That proves that you are wrong."
"No,'" I said. "That proves that I am right. In my country we are not afraid of freedom, even if it means that people disagree with us."
