Brittney Griner’s arrest was met with significant outrage from some United States officials, including U.S. Representative Sheila Jackson Lee, a representative from Griner’s home state of Texas, who called the charges “false” (via Fox News). Lee was quoted as saying, “You wonder, what is the evil purpose of Putin’s government to have her at this time.” She continued by saying that Griner and all other Americans detained by Russia need to be released immediately.
United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the United States government would do what it can to return Griner to her home country. “There’s only so much I can say given the privacy considerations at this point. Whenever an American is detained anywhere in the world, we of course stand ready to provide every possible assistance, and that includes in Russia,” he said, per Fox News. “We have an embassy team that’s working on the cases of other Americans who are detained in Russia. We’re doing everything we can to see to it that their rights are upheld and respected.”
According to The New York Times, the WNBA released a statement saying that Griner has the league’s “full support and our main priority is her swift and safe return to the United States.”
ncG1vNJzZmhqZGy7psPSmqmorZ6Zwamx1qippZxemLyue82erqxnp52utXnWnmSkpp%2BseqKuzq6rZpqinsG1usSyZKCqmaOys7%2BMmqmrnaOpeqq6jKusrKuZlnw%3D