‘They Weren’t in the Room’: John Kirby Hits Back at Critics Bashing Brittney Griner’s Release From Russia Without Paul Whelan

John Kirby defended the Biden administration’s negotiations with Russia while pushing back on criticisms for the fact Paul Whelan wasn’t included in the prisoner exchange between Brittney Griner and Viktor Bout.

The White House National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications spoke with ABC’s Martha Raddatz on Sunday, where they focused on the U.S.’s efforts to secure the release of Griner, the imprisoned WNBA star, and Whelan, the former marine who’s been held in Russia for years on dubious charges of espionage. Kirby spoke of how the Biden administration is still negotiating for Whelan’s release, but he argued that including him in the Griner-for-Bout deal was something that the Russians would not accept.

As Raddatz brought up the criticism and concern about releasing Bout to Russia, Kirby maintained his position that “nobody’s doing backflips over there about the fact that Mr. Bout is a free man six years earlier than he would have been. But we’re going to protect our national security. And if Mr. Bout decides to go back to his previous line of work, then we’re going to do what we need to do to hold him accountable and to protect our interests.”

Raddatz then asked him about those who say “you just weren’t tough enough” in standing up to Russia and demanding the release of detained Americans. To that, Kirby replied “I understand the criticism,” but “they weren’t in the room.”

“They weren’t on the phone. They weren’t watching the incredible effort and determination by [Roger Carstens] and his team to try to get both Paul and Brittney out together,” Kirby said. “In a negotiation, you do what you can. You do as much as you can. You push and you push and you push. And we did. And this deal we got last week, that was the deal that was possible. It was the deal we could get now. Now was the moment we could get it, and we executed it.”

Whelan has been gladdened by the news of Griner’s release, but has been open with his disappointment that he wasn’t freed in the deal as well.

Watch above via ABC.

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