After spending more than 140 days in a Russian prison, WNBA star Brittney Griner sent a handwritten letter to President Biden imploring him to help her return home. The letter followed unsuccessful efforts by her wife, Cherelle, to elicit the administration’s help in freeing Griner before her July 1 trial began. Griner was detained in the Sheremetyevo International Airport in Moscow on February 17 for traveling with a vaping cartridge and hashish oil in her luggage and then charged with large-scale transportation of drugs. If convicted in the Russian court, she faces up to ten years in prison. Russia’s foreign ministry says Griner can appeal her sentence or request clemency once she receives the verdict.
In her letter to Biden, Griner wrote, “As I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, olympic jersey, or any accomplishments, I’m terrified I might be here forever.” While Griner acknowledged that Biden was busy with many things, she implored the president to help bring her and other American prisoners in Russia home: “Please don’t forget about me and the other American detainees.” Griner ended her letter with a plea to Biden: “I am grateful for whatever you can do at this moment to get me home.”
Cherelle Griner has alleged that Biden has done nothing to help Brittney get back to the U.S., despite her reaching out to the president multiple times. Both national-security adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have spoken to Cherelle over the phone. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claimed recently, “This is a priority for us.” In an interview on CBS Mornings on Tuesday, CBS anchor Gayle King asked Cherelle if she has heard back from Biden yet. “I still have not heard from him. And, honestly, it’s very disheartening.”
Today, Biden finally spoke on the phone with Cherelle about helping bring Brittney home. According to the White House Press Office, Biden told Cherelle that he is “working to secure Brittney’s release as soon as possible.” The president read Cherelle a draft of his letter to Brittney, which he plans to send today. While it is good that Biden is finally taking steps to secure Griner’s release, he should have taken action long ago. Speaking to the media on Monday, Griner’s coach made a good point: “If it was LeBron, he’d be home, right?”
Griner, who says she voted for Biden, should have been home by now. Biden’s record of freeing Americans detained abroad falls far short of Trump’s. During his time in office, Trump brought home more than 50 Americans from 22 countries. Today, 55 Americans are being detained abroad. Representative Jim Jordan (R., Oh.) tweeted in mid-June, “Everyone knows President Trump would have negotiated Brittney Griner’s release by now.” Jordan may or may not be right, but whether it’s Americans stuck in Afghanistan after the U.S. withdrawal or detainees in Russia, it appears President Biden cannot be relied on to perform this most essential mission: bringing Americans home.