The Biden administration now believes WNBA star Brittney Griner is being “wrongfully detained” in Russia after allegedly being caught with hashish oil at the airport.
The new designation, reported by ESPN Tuesday, is expected to change the conversation around Griner’s imprisonment, moving the White House to fight more aggressively for her release outside of legal channels. It also frees her teammates and supporters to be vocal after her legal team and wife asked fans to not cause a stir that could make her situation worse.
“Brittney has been detained for 75 days and our expectation is that the White House do whatever is necessary to bring her home,” Griner’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, told ESPN.
