Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina slammed the prisoner swap negotiated this week between the United States and Russia, arguing that the move will help Russian President Putin and encourage America’s enemies to unfairly arrest Americans.
In an interview with Fox New Sunday’s Jackie Heinrich, Graham said the deal was “absolutely” a win for Putin.
“We have a vicious cycle here: You bring trumped-up charges against Americans,” he said. “You accuse Americans of things they didn’t do, you send them to prison, and you only release them when you have to release Russian spies and murderers. This cycle has to stop.”
The massive prisoner swap resulted in the release of several Americans held captive by Russia, including Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich and Marine Corps veteran Paul Whelan, as well as notorious hitman Vadim Krasikov and several suspected spies.
The deal also saw the release of 12 Germans held in Russian custody, the largest exchange since the end of the Cold War.
“Ultimately, I think Iran sees this as another sign of weakness,” Graham said. “The more bad guys like Putin get paid to do bad things, the worse things are going to happen. So I’m worried that Iran and China are watching. This is making our adversaries more provocative, not less.”
The most high-profile American still held in Russia is Mark Fogel, a teacher serving a 14-year sentence for drug trafficking. White House spokesman John Kirby said Sunday that the Biden administration had tried to include Fogel in the exchange but negotiations had failed.
The White House hailed it as a landmark move for the president. The deal was signed just hours before Biden decided to drop out of the 2024 campaign.
“Today’s exchange was the kind of diplomatic feat that, frankly, only a leader like Joe Biden can accomplish,” Biden spokesman Jake Sullivan said last week.
