Brittney Griner’s wife said it’s “very disheartening” that she still hasn’t heard directly from President Biden, even after the WNBA star — who is in a Russian prison — sent a handwritten letter to the president asking him to does not “forget” her.
Cheryl Greener appeared remotely on “CBS Mornings” on Tuesday, telling host Gayle King that she decided to “no longer stay silent” about her wife’s plight because the Biden administration has so far failed to bring her home .
“I’m going to find that balance of … harm versus help in pushing our government to do everything they can, because by being quiet, they’re not moving, they’re not doing anything,” Cheryl Greener said.
Brittney Griner, 31, was arrested at a Moscow airport in February for transporting two cannabis cartridges, which are illegal in Russia, in her luggage.
Cheryl Greener (R) told CBS’ Gayle King on Tuesday that she “will not be silent” any longer on wife Brittney’s case and will push for the Biden administration to act. CBS
On Friday, her criminal trial began in Khimki City Court, where prosecutors outlined their case against the basketball player, charging her with large-scale drug trafficking, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
On the Fourth of July, Greener wrote a letter to Biden from behind bars, telling the president, “I’m terrified that I could be here forever.”
White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre confirmed to reporters on Tuesday that the president had received and read the letter before calling Griner’s release a “priority” for the administration. She did not say whether Biden intended to respond.
Griner sent a handwritten letter to President Biden behind bars, asking him to “not forget her” and revealing that she was “terrified.” Reuters
“As you’ve heard us say before, he believes that any U.S. citizen who is being held overseas or detained or held hostage overseas, we should return safely, and we’re going to use every tool that you can to this happened,” said Jean-Pierre. “Again, this is a priority for the president.
The press secretary added that Cheryl Greener had spoken twice with national security adviser Jake Sullivan in the past ten days.
“I don’t have anything else to read as far as a potential call or meeting with her family, but obviously we think she’s been wrongfully detained,” Jean-Pierre said.
Cheryl Greener said during the CBS interview that when she read her wife’s letter, she felt her fear.
Griner’s drug trial began in a suburb of Moscow last Friday. She could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted of transporting cannabis on a large scale. AP
“She’s probably the strongest person I know, so she doesn’t say things like that lightly,” she said. “That means she’s really terrified that she might never see us again.”
Cherrell speculated that Britney — the proud daughter of a Vietnam War veteran — decided to reach out to the president directly on Independence Day because her family had so far been unable to reach him.
“I’m sure she’s like, ‘I’m going to write him and ask him now because my family tried and failed, so I’m going to do it myself,'” Cherrell said.
The athlete’s wife of three years also revealed that she brought up her mental health in a recent chat with Britney after seeing a disturbing photo of her looking wild-eyed as she arrived at court.
“I honestly wrote to her and said, ‘Hey honey, you know, I saw your picture and I know there’s such a thing as propaganda, but I have to ask … are you okay?'” Cherelle remembered asking. “”Are you crazy at this point? Know that if you are, I still love you and when you come back we will love you whole again, show grace to yourself.
Cherrell said Britney explained to her that she felt “very weak” at the time and that she was “nervous” as she rounded the corner of the courthouse and came face-to-face with hundreds of reporters. But the WNBA player assured his wife that she’s “not crazy, not yet.”
The US government has argued that Griner’s detention was a political ploy by the Kremlin, a charge that President Vladimir Putin’s spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, rejected on Friday.
“This cannot be politically motivated,” Peskov told the state news agency TASS. “[The] The facts are that a famous athlete was detained with prohibited compounds that contain narcotic substances. Russian law does have provisions that provide punishment for such crimes.
Meanwhile, Russian media have repeatedly speculated that Griner could be swapped for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, nicknamed “The Merchant of Death,” who is serving a 25-year sentence for conspiring to kill American citizens and providing aid to a terrorist organization .
Cherrell said she asked her wife about the disturbing photo in the courtroom because she feared for Britney’s sanity. The athlete explained that she was “stressed” by the media.AP
At the White House on Tuesday, Jean-Pierre declined to say whether such an agreement could be reached with Moscow.
“I can’t speak to any discussions that are going on about how American citizens are detained overseas and wrongfully detained, how, what the process will be,” the press secretary said. “I just can’t talk about it.”
Griner’s drug trial is scheduled to resume in Russia on Thursday.
With pole cables
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