White House declines to comment on American basketball star Brittney Griner imprisoned in Russia

The White House on Tuesday declined to comment on any discussions the US government may be having with Russia surrounding the case of Brittney Griner, a WNBA star from Texas currently imprisoned in Russia over accusations of drug possession.

Ms Griner is one of several Americans currently detained in Russia on various charges; her imprisonment is the most recent, and came amid a massive western backlash to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine which includes withering US sanctions.

“Is the White House involved in all in negotiating their release, in securing their release?” a reporter asked during a briefing on Air Force One.

“On the second individual you named, we’ve obviously seen the reports, we don’t have a privacy act waiver so I cannot speak to that case,” said White House press secretary Jen Psaki, declining to even refer to Ms Griner by name.

Ms Griner was arrested last week and accused of having vape cartridges containing cannabis in her luggage as she was apparently leaving the country. Ms Griner plays in a Russian league in addition to the WNBA, where she is a star center for the Phoenix Mercury.

Drug charges carry harsh sentences in Russia and if convicted Ms Griner could potentially be sentenced to up to a decade in prison under Russian law. The US State Department is also warning that Russian authorities may engage in harassment of US citizens amid the global dispute that has erupted in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“We are aware of the situation with Brittney Griner in Russia and are in close contact with her, her legal representation in Russia, her family, her teams, and the WNBA and NBA,” Ms Griner’s agent, Kagawa Colas, said in a statement over the weekend. “As this is an ongoing legal matter, we are not able to comment further on the specifics of her case but can confirm that as we work to get her home, her mental and physical health remain our primary concern.”

On Tuesday, Ms Psaki did comment on discussions surrounding the fate of Trevor Reed, whom the US government has previously said was convicted on trumped-up charges of assaulting a police officer while intoxicated. Mr Reed claims that Russian authorities are denying him medical care after he was exposed to another inmate with tuberculosis, and on Tuesday Ms Psaki faced questions about why President Joe Biden will not meet with Mr Reed’s family while he is in Texas.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken previously said Mr Reed was “arrested, convicted without credible evidence”.

"Trevor Reed was subjected to a lengthy, close-contact exposure to a prisoner who had active TB in December – that prisoner became gravely ill shortly after his encounter with Trevor. Despite beginning post-exposure prophylaxis for other inmates, Russian authorities have refused to do the same for Trevor and have thus far refused to test him," Mr Reed’s family told CNN last month via a spokesperson.

"Trevor continues to complain about pain in his chest (related to breathing, not his heart) and authorities continue to refuse him any medical treatment whatsoever. Any suggestion by Russian authorities that they have provided Trevor meaningful medical care is patently false," the spokesperson added.