President Joe Biden speaking on the phone in the Oval Office. (Photo by Adam Schultz/White House)
In a call Wednesday, President Joe Biden along with Vice President Kamala Harris spoke to Cherelle Griner, the wife of WNBA star Brittney Griner who is imprisoned by Russian authorities and is currently on trial for alleged drug charges.
The White House indicated in a read-out statement of the president’s call that Biden had assured Cherelle Griner that he and senior administration officials were working towards gaining her wife’s release as soon as possible, as well as the release of Paul Whelan and other U.S. nationals who are wrongfully detained or held hostage in Russia.
Brittney Griner had sent a letter to Biden which was delivered on Monday.
During the regular press briefing Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that the president had read the letter adding “We are going to use every tool that we possibly can to bring Griner home.”
In her letter of which excerpts were made public, the rest of the communique kept private by the communications firm representing the Griner family, the 31-year-old Griner who plays in Russia during the league’s off-season 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…”
“On the 4th of July, our family normally honors the service of those who fought for our freedom, including my father who is a Vietnam War veteran. It hurts thinking about how I usually celebrate this day because freedom means something completely different to me this year,” Griner wrote to the president.
“I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don’t forget about me and the other American detainees. Please do all you can to bring us home. I voted for the first time in 2020 and I voted for you. I believe in you. I still have so much good to do with my freedom that you can help restore. I miss my wife! I miss my family! I miss my teammates! It kills me to know they are suffering so much right now. I am grateful for whatever you can do at this moment to get me home.”
During Wednesday’s call the president read his response to Brittney Griner’s letter to Cherelle Griner. The president offered his support to Cherelle Griner and the Griner family, and he committed to ensuring they are provided with all possible assistance while his administration pursues every avenue to bring Brittney Griner home.
Today’s call follows recent calls that National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken have had with Cherelle Griner in recent weeks and this past weekend. The president directed his national security team to remain in regular contact with Cherelle Griner and Brittney Griner’s family, and with other families of Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained abroad, to keep them updated on efforts to secure the release of their loved ones as quickly as possible.
On Tuesday National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement:
“The president’s team is in regular contact with Brittney’s family and we will continue to work to support her family,” Watson said, adding that and Blinken “have spoken several times with Brittney’s wife in recent weeks and the White House is closely coordinating with the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, who has met with Brittney’s family, her teammates, and her support network.”
Officials at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport in February detained Griner — a Phoenix Mercury center and two-time Olympic gold medalist — after customs inspectors allegedly found hashish oil in her luggage. The State Department has determined that Russia “wrongfully detained” her.
U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Elizabeth Rood and other American diplomats attended the first day of Brittney Griner’s trial that began on July 1 in Moscow. Brittney Griner faces up to 10 years in prison if she is convicted.
Additional reporting by Michael K. Lavers.
