Republican lawmakers on Thursday criticized President Biden for a deal that returned WNBA star Brittney Griner from a Russian prison camp, but failed to free Paul Whelan, a U.S. Marine veteran who has been jailed in Russia since 2018 on spying charges that the U.S. government has said are baseless. …

“If @POTUS is going to release a guy convicted of providing aid to a terrorist organization & conspiring to kill American citizens, he should have at least gotten BOTH Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan in return,” tweeted Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R-N.Y. “A U.S. Marine is left behind in another bad deal made by Biden.”

“Where is U.S. Marine Paul Whelan, who has been unjustly held by Russia for far longer?” tweeted Rep. Mike Waltz, R-Fla. “Celebrities over veterans?”

Waltz said in a separate tweet, “This is absolutely shameful,” and said Biden is giving priority to a celebrity over a veteran.