Brittney Griner Update

Excerpt from regular White House press briefing on Nov. 18, 2022:

 
"Q    Thanks.  Karine, Russia says it’s working with the U.S. on a potential prisoner swap.  Can you comment on where this stands?  Could this lead to the release of Brittney Griner?

MS. JEAN-PIERRE:  Yeah, I heard — I’ve heard these reportings.  Let me just say something at the top because there’s also been reporting about the location of Brittney Griner, so I just want to get this on the record. 

So, we’re — we’re in frequent contact with Brittney Griner — Brittney Griner’s team and are aware that they were able to visit her earlier this week at IK-2 in Mordovia. 

The administration continues to work tirelessly to secure her release.  As I said when we first learned she was moved, the President has directed the administration to prevail on her — on her Russian captors to improve her treatment and the conditions she may be forced to endure.

The U.S. government is ready to resolve the wrongful detentions of American citizens in Russia.  We have made an offer, have continued to follow up on that offer, and propose alternative potential ways forward with Russia — Russians through a — through all available channels.  We hope Russia is ready to negotiate in good faith.

And you’ve heard us say this before: The Russian government’s actions have contradicted what they have said publicly.  Over the last several months, they have failed to seriously negotiate through the established channel or any other channel.  And that’s what we’re going to see.

On the prisoner — prisoner swap, your specific question, look, we’re not going to comment on specifics of any proposals, other than to say that we have made a substantial offer and that the Russian Federation has consisensly [sic] — consistently, again, failed to negotiate in good faith.  And you’ve heard us say that before.  They need to negotiate in good faith.  But I’m not going to get into specifics of the negotiations."

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The fact of the matter is that the US is basically on both sides of the negotiations over Griner's incarceration. The Americans whom US negotiators are attempting to gain release are, with the exception of Griner, relatively unknown to the general public. The lady basketball star would be similarly anonymous if this event had never occurred. It's not to the advantage of the US to secure her freedom in exchange for the end of negative publicity for the Russians. Only a tiny minority of Americans are aware of potential Russians available for exchange in this circumstance. The media has conveniently forgotten that Siberian gun enthusiast Marina Butina went through a similar experience in the US but her detention was based first on accusations of prostitution and espionage. Later she plead guilty to being an "unregistered foreign agent". 

Sadly, Griner's immediate problems are based at least in part on the Russian reaction to Butina's experience as well as her own mistake, certainly an unnecessary and foolish one, as so many legal difficulties are.