President Biden will meet with basketball star Brittany Griner’s wife at the White House on Friday and discuss ongoing US efforts to free her. Nine years in prison in Russia.
Biden will meet Cherrell Griner as well as her sister Elizabeth Whelan Former Marine Paul WhelanWho was it 16 years in a Russian prison in 2020 for alleged espionage.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters on Thursday: “The president wanted to make sure his families understand that he is on his mind and that his team is working tirelessly every day to get Brittany and Paul home safely.” has been.”
Griner pleaded guilty He was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on February 17 for possessing a small amount of cannabis oil in July, a week before Russia invaded Ukraine, prompting harsh US sanctions.
In July the US government announced that Griner had been “wrongfully detained” and had reportedly been offered Release the infamous arms dealer Victor BoutJoe is jailed in America in exchange for Griner and Whelan.
Cherrell Griner has criticized the performance of the Biden administration, telling the Associated Press in June that she hadn’t been able to speak with his wife in four months.
“I find this unacceptable and I have zero trust in our government right now,” Cherrell Griner said at the time.
The WNBA star’s wife spoke to Biden by phone on July 6 after talking about the lack of progress in the case.
another US citizen jailed in Russia, Mark FogelIn June, he was sentenced to 14 years for possession of medical marijuana. The US government has not included him in the proposed prisoner swap.
Marijuana reform advocates point out that Biden hasn’t finished his 2019 campaign yet Resolve to free “everyone” in federal US prisons for pot crimes, which he can do with his constitutional pardoning powers.
“I really hope [Griner] May be free soon.” Marijuana activist and journalist Tom Engel tweeted last month. “But it is frankly absurd on its face that the US President is willing to trade the arms smuggler for the famous basketball player, while at the same time letting many other Americans rot in US prisons for cannabis. Come on. !”
According to recent Congressional estimates, there are 2,700 federal pot prisoners, some of whom have been given life sentences, including Pedro Moreno62, who distributed marijuana imported from Mexico from 1986 to 1996. Another Confederate prisoner, luke scarmazzoThe 42-year-old has served 14 years of a 22-year sentence for running a medical marijuana business in California.