Retired Marine Trevor Reed: White House 'not doing enough' to free Brittney Griner, Paul Whelan from Russia

Reed was released in exchange for a Russian drug trafficker after being sentenced to 9 years in prison

Trevor Reed, a retired U.S. Marine who was freed from Russian imprisonment earlier this year, criticized President Joe Biden and the White House on Tuesday for "not doing enough" to help free WNBA star Brittney Griner and executive Paul Whelan from Russian detainment.

Reed, 29, who was released in April as part of a prisoner swap following his initial 2019 arrest, said during an interview with NBC News that the White House "has the ability" to bring the American citizens home but has "chosen not to do that," the outlet reported.

"I can't say 100% what the White House is or is not doing — that's obviously not public information," Reed said on "Hallie Jackson NOW."

He added: "But, in my opinion, the White House has the ability to get them out extremely fast, and they clearly have chosen not to do that. So no, in my opinion, they’re not doing enough."

BRITTNEY GRINER PLEADS GUILTY IN RUSSIA, BUT EXPERTS WARN NEXT STEPS MAY HAVE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES

Trevor Reed inside a defendants' cage during his verdict hearing at Moscow's Golovinsky district court on July 30, 2020. (DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images)

Trevor Reed in a courtroom prior to a hearing in Moscow on March 11, 2020.  (ALEXANDER NEMENOV/AFP via Getty Images)

Placards of former U.S. Marines Paul Whelan (L) and and Trevor Reed, stand outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC, on July 29, 2021. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

Reed said the responsibility to free the Americans ultimately rested with President Biden, who he thanked for securing his own freedom — which he called an "ethical decision."

"I think that that was the ethical decision, and I think that