From Free Britney to Free Brittney: Now that Uncle Sam has rightly determined that WNBA star Brittney Griner is being wrongfully detained in Russia, the State Department will ramp up efforts to free her. But that’s not enough, and not just because she was clearly targeted because she’s a black lesbian.
Russia arrested the hoops star, 31, at a Moscow airport in mid-February (she plays in Russia during the US off-season) for allegedly having cannabis vape cartridges in her luggage. She faces a five-to-10-year prison sentence if convicted.
Now her case has been moved to the Office of the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, which negotiates over Americans held hostage in other countries or otherwise wrongfully detained.
Meanwhile, Moscow just swapped US Marine Trevor Reed — held for nearly 1,000 days on trumped-up charges — for a major Russian drug trafficker serving 20 years in Connecticut.
Team Biden may have to spring another foreign thug to free Griner, already held for 75 days, but it needs to find a way to shut down Moscow’s game.