On the day she testified at her trial in Russia, Brittney Griner may have found herself closer to freedom and a return to the United States.
CNN reported on Wednesday that the U.S. government has offered to swap the so-called “Merchant of Death” Viktor Bout for Griner and another imprisoned American, Paul Whelan.
Bout, who’s serving a 25-year federal prison sentence and notorious for his desire to kill Americans, reportedly has been at the top of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s wish list.
“We communicated a substantial offer that we believe could be successful based on a history of conversations with the Russians,” a senior administration official told CNN Wednesday. “We communicated that a number of weeks ago, in June.”
The unnamed sources told the network that the planned trade received the backing of President Joe Biden after being under discussion since earlier this year. CNN reported that Biden’s support for the swap overrides opposition from the Department of Justice, which is generally against prisoner trades.
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The families of Whelan, who Russia has held for alleged espionage since 2018, and WNBA star Griner, jailed in Moscow for drug possession since February, have urged the White House to secure their release, including via a prisoner exchange, if necessary, the report stated.
During her testimony, Griner told the court that she’s still unsure how cannabis oil ended up in her luggage. She said a doctor recommended cannabis oil for her injuries on the basketball court.
“I still don’t understand to this day how they ended up in my bags,” Griner said, adding that she was aware of the Russian law outlawing cannabis oil and that she had not intended to break it.
“I didn’t have any intent to use or keep in my possession any substance that is prohibited in Russia,” Griner said.
Detained in February, Griner said she had already been in Russia for several months before her arrest. She now faces up to 10 years in a Russian prison.
“My career is my whole life,” she said. “I dedicated everything. Time, my body, time away from my family. I spent six months out of the year away from everybody, and with a huge time difference.”
U.S. officials are awaiting word from the Russian government on whether they will accept the swap.
“It takes two to tango. So we start all negotiations to bring home Americans held hostage or wrongfully detained with a bad actor on the other side,” an unnamed official told CNN. “We start all of these with somebody who has taken a human being American and treated them as a bargaining chip. So in some ways, it’s not surprising, even if it’s disheartening, when those same actors don’t necessarily respond directly to our offers, don’t engage constructively in negotiations.”
The CNN report noted that Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Wednesday that the United States presented a “substantial proposal” to Moscow “weeks ago” for Whelan and Griner, who are classified as wrongfully detained. The top U.S. diplomat said he intended to discuss the matter on an expected call with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov this week.
Free Brittany please
Britney griner is not illegally detained she broke the law for drugs and she knows the law. How’s that illegally detained. She hates the USA anyway!!!!!
You’re an asshole, she doesn’t hate the USA stupid!
No Liz your the asshole trade a USA killer for a USA hater what the Hell is the difference between the two.
Yes she does hate the usa she thinks it’s racist holds the black power fist in some of her pictures let it rot in russia.
Agree 100%
Your an idiot
And How Do You Know She HATES The USA, Your Talking
Out Of Your A**!! They Should
Get Her Back & Warn Her Not
To Screw Up Again, & Limit
Her To Playing Only In This
Country. And Get The Othet
Guy Back As Well, & STOP Others From Going To RUSSIA,
With PUTIN The PUTZ Being
So Out Of Touch With Reality
NO U.S. CITIZEN Should Ever
TRAVEL Or Be Dispatched To
RUSSIA, CHINA Or The MIDDLE EAST ( IRAN, IRAQ
ETC).
Tony Hamlin how do you know? was you there when it happened? NO YOU WERE NOT. If you a U.S. citizen you should want her home with her family what if it was your mother sister wife or anybody close to you you wouldn’t say it like that be considerate for other people lives
A lot of people are sorry they broke the law doesn’t make them less guilty the anti American can sit her time and the anti American bumbling president can go sit time with it.
Why should united States break her free ,she did the crime do your time that’s bullsh..the she’s no one special, if she was a POW yes other wise hell no so that means every one that was caught with drugs should be free from prison who’s paying for this the tax payers we’re getting weak.
That’s a hell of a swap! We’re letting a very dangerous man as the swap that is something that should really needs our government to think about. Honesty it’s not a far trade
I agree
Leave her there. She knew what she was doing was wrong.
Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time! She knew what she was doing! It’s sad but she must do the sentence! She doesn’t respect our country! Maybe she will smarten up in the future! She isn’t an American hero! We don’t given into terrorists!
Shut your mouth! How do you know she knew what she was doing? Clearly you don’t know what you are doing or saying.
How come there is a lack of concern for the other individual and no sincere attempt to free him for 4years without the basketball player . Where is the concern for him that she’s receiving
She hates America, until it helps her cause. Let her stay in prison until she can say she was wrong. She is sorry she got caught. You were told to leave your contraband at home.
All the leave her there comments are coming from the pro Putin pro Trump whites. But look the other way about Trump crimes.
Absolutely Rodney Foster ..
My understanding is the amount of time given, 9 years, is longer than the offense requires in Russia. This is a young black lady, black or white she is a U.S. citizen, She’s one of ours, bring her home!
She had more nerve than I would have being an American being in Russia, she played Russian roulette so to speak with the drugs and got caught. Probably thinking her stardom would protect her! WRONG! Don’t give the Russians half a chance to get anything on an American in their country, they just didn’t know the brutal history of the U.S.S.R She hates the United States as well. True America is NOT PERFECT but it’s American efforts and American taxpayers efforts negotiations that are trying to get her back and her grievances be what they may she should at least be considerate of the country’s efforts to get her returned home.
I think she forgot the oil was in her suitcase, she said she had Doctor orders for it give her a break, have a heart if the shoe was on the other feet what then
My opinion is that nobody cares she admitted to having the illegal drugs in her possession. There to many people in the world that are incarcerated that are innocent and no one does nothing for them. At the end of day there’s to many things going on in this world than to care about this so called basketball player went to prison in another country you broke the law you have to pay the consequences Brittany don’t do nothing for no one she doesn’t make sure no one holidays are good excuse my French but screw her period.
I have a son lock up in the United States and he is innocent and the Judge appears to be racist. President Biden can you please help my son get release from Cook County Jail. He’s not a star but he is a human that’s getting treated very unfairly. He’s never been lock up before. The real killer is walking free. I Black young men get treated so unfairly, when does it stops. He’s a good Father to his girls and was very involve in their life. Good people have NO CHANCE and real KILLERS walk the streets. Biden I live in Chicago can you please help me just by looking into this case. “PLEASE “PLEASE” That’s all I ask, if you help one can you reach out and help another. GOD BLESS!!!