!['Disgraceful abdication': Potential 2024 contenders slam Biden's swap of WNBA player for 'Merchant of Death'](https://static.foxnews.com/foxnews.com/content/uploads/2022/12/THUMB-WHELAN-GRINER-DEC-09-2022.jpg)
'Disgraceful abdication': Potential 2024 contenders slam Biden's swap of WNBA player for 'Merchant of Death'
Fox News
Nikki Haley and Sen. Tim Scott slammed Biden's release of Russian arms trafficker Viktor Bout in order to free WNBA player Brittney Griner, as Marine veteran Paul Whelan remains in prison.
The exchange was celebrated for Griner's release, though many criticized the swap for leaving Whelan behind. Aubrie Spady is a Freelance Production Assistant for Fox News Digital.
"The return of any American hostage should be celebrated, but we cannot take our eyes off Paul Whelan and the pain his family is feeling today. This was not a fair trade for the "Merchant of Death" and signals to Putin that he will be rewarded for imprisoning Americans," Nikki Haley, former governor of South Carolina and rumored 2024 contender, told Fox News Digital in response to the trade.