American citizens have shared their take on the prisoner swap deal that led to the release of Brittney Griner. The WNBA star was finally released on December 8 in exchange for convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout. Notably, a recent report has suggested that a disturbingly high percentage of US citizens have opposed Griner’s release, based on a poll conducted among Americans.

The State Department has secured Griner’s release with a prisoner swap deal, however, the change in the initial two-for-one prisoner swap that included retired marine Paul Whelan has received backlash from the people. Russia reportedly refused to release Whelan since he was facing espionage?charges. As a result, the White House had to agree on a one-for-one prisoner swap to secure the release of Brittney Griner. However, the decision from the Biden Administration has surprisingly left the nation divided.

America disapproves of the swap deal that released Brittney Griner

According to a recent poll conducted by YouGov America,?“About half of Americans (52%) say they support the U.S. engaging in prisoner exchanges generally ? but just 38% say they approve of Griner being released in exchange for Bout.”

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Shockingly, 47% of Americans strongly or somewhat disapproved of the prisoner swap deal involving the WNBA star. Griner’s release received 66% approval from the Democrats. However, 76% of the Republicans disapproved of the prisoner swap deal.?

Meanwhile, the report also suggested that 51% of White Americans disapproved of the deal, while 35% did approve of it. When it comes to Black Americans, the approval rating jumps to 56%. However, the poll has probably come off as a surprise for many of Brittney Griner’s supporters.

Paul Whelan’s detention caused disapproval from the US citizens

A major reason behind the disapproval from US citizens is the prolonged detention of Paul Whelan. The former marine was arrested in 2018 and was sentenced to 16 years in prison under espionage charges. Whelan has spent nearly four years in the IK-17 penal colony. Moreover, he was disappointed after the US failed to secure his release through the recent swap deal.

Meanwhile, President Biden has assured that the White House would keep making consistent efforts to bring Whelan home. Despite assurances from the President, 60% of Americans feel that the US should be doing more to secure Paul Whelan’s release from Russia.

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What do you think of the results of the poll? Let us know in the comments below.