Brittney Griner, the WNBA star who was moved last month to one of the dreaded Mordovian prisons after the previous appeal of her drug smuggling conviction didn't come to fruition, was released Thursday in a one-for-one prisoner swap for international arms dealer Viktor Bout. She can now go home to be with her wife after being released from her nine-year prison sentence.
CBS News reports:
A White House official said President Biden was in the Oval Office Thursday morning on the phone, speaking with Griner and her wife, and that Vice President Kamala Harris was also in the room. Per standard procedure for freed U.S. prisoners, Griner was expected to quickly undergo a medical evaluation.
President Biden is expected to speak at 8:30 a.m. Eastern at the White House about the prisoner swap that saw Brittney Griner released.
To secure Griner's release, the president ordered Bout to be freed and returned to Russia. Mr. Biden signed the commutation order cutting short Bout's 25-year federal prison sentence.
Paul Whelan, an American corporate security executive, remains jailed in Russia.
Via NBC News:
Whelan is serving a 16-year prison sentence after being accused of spying, which the U.S. has denied. People familiar with the negotiations for his release say the Russians refused to release Whelan without getting a Russian spy in return. The U.S. insists it does not have any Russian spies in its custody, and thus no one to trade to meet the Kremlin's demand.
President Biden was reportedly on the phone Thursday, speaking with Griner, and her wife, Cherelle Griner, and Vice President Kamala Harris were also in the room.
