The Daily - How Brittney Griner Became a Political Pawn

Episode Date: July 6, 2022

Brittney Griner, the American W.N.B.A. star who has been detained in Russia since February, recently sent a letter to President Biden. “I’m terrified I might be here forever,” she wrote.The White House vowed to use “every tool” to bring Ms. Griner back to the United States, but organizing her release is a tricky proposition, complicated not least by Washington’s break with Moscow over the war in Ukraine.Guest: Michael Crowley, a diplomatic correspondent for The New York Times.Want more from The Daily? For one big idea on the news each week from our team, subscribe to our newsletter. Background reading: Brittney Griner has endured months in a Russian prison and faces the threat of years more.Her letter to Mr. Biden asked him to keep her case in mind. “I realize you are dealing with so much, but please don’t forget about me and the other American detainees. Please do all you can to bring us home,” she wrote.For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday. 

From The New York Times, I'm Sabrina Tavernisi. This is The Daily. Over the past several weeks, calls for the release of Brittany Griner, the American basketball star who was arrested in Russia, have grown louder, coming from her family and her fans, and even from the U.S. Congress. Today, my colleague Michael Crowley on the risks that mounting pressure brings, both for Brittany Griner and for U.S. foreign policy. It's Wednesday, July 6th. So, Michael, you've been covering the case of Brittany Griner, the American athlete who was arrested in Russia in February. Let's start with the basics. Who is Brittany Griner and how did she get detained?

Brittany Griner is one of the stars of the WNBA, which of course is the women's professional basketball league in the United States. Brittany Griner is so big, so long, so athletic, and that's what she does better than anyone else. Also a two-time Olympic gold medal winner. What has it really taken to get to this point? Just every day, just coming, not looking at the records, and just playing, trying to get better every game. And a name instantly recognizable to any WNBA fan and to many sports fans.

Brittany Griner spinning in the lane, put it up and in, count that one and the foul, the deuce and the damage. But despite her prominence and success in WNBA, Griner does not make as much money as her male counterparts. So in the offseason,

plays overseas in a Russian professional basketball league. And in mid-February, at a time when tensions between the United States and Russia were skyrocketing over what turned out to be Russia's imminent invasion of Ukraine, Brittany Greiner traveled to Russia to play basketball there. And according to Russian authorities, a drug-sniffing dog reacted to her luggage at a Moscow-area airport. Greiner was pulled aside, her bags were searched, and the Russians say that officials at the airport discovered hashish oil inside of vape cartridges in her luggage and they arrested her. So what else do we know about her arrest? I mean, were these drugs actually hers? I mean, did she kind of mess up by having them in her suitcase or was something else going on? Well, we don't know. You know, she has not entered a plea and there has not been a denial

from her or her representatives in the U.S. that she did have these materials. Having said that, Russia is very well known for ginning up cases against people for the purpose of harassment in illegitimate ways. So I think it's dangerous to make assumptions here. But the reality is the Russians control this situation. They say that she had these drugs. They are charging her with this criminal offense. And it is a charge that can carry up to 10 years in prison. Okay, so what happens next? Well, it's a charge that can carry up to 10 years in prison.

Okay, so what happens next? Well, it's a little strange. Greiner is arrested at this Moscow airport on February 17th. But word of the arrest does not emerge until nearly three weeks later, when the Russian government announces on March 5th that this has happened. Now, in the meantime, something massive has happened on the world stage, and that is the Russian invasion of Ukraine. But initially, her family, her wife, and her supporters had not said anything about her detention until media representatives contacted them following the Russian government statement. When they are

contacted, they say little. They clearly are not at that point looking to fan the publicity around the situation. So Michael, how would you explain that? I mean, she seems like a big enough star that we would have heard about her detention before three weeks had gone by. That's right. And, you know, that goes to a core theme that is run through this entire case, which is what is the wisest approach for the family, relatives, and supporters of a person who has been detained, arrested, or kidnapped overseas? What is the smart way for them to respond? Is it to speak up, make noise, and raise the profile of the situation? Or is it to work quietly with the United States government, keep the profile of the case low, prevent the stakes from rising in a way that could potentially benefit the captors, in this case, the Russian government, and essentially

try to avoid publicity. And in the early going, what we saw was that Greiner's family and supporters chose that latter course of trying to keep the profile low and initially leave it to the United States government to try to deal with the Russians. So what does the U.S. government do? Well, it's a terrible time for the U.S. government to be trying to resolve a situation like this. We can't be sure about behind-the-scenes contacts, but essentially the U.S. government and the Russian government are not talking as a result of the invasion of Ukraine. are not talking as a result of the invasion of Ukraine. Not only that, but the Russian government clearly has been obstructing the access that U.S. officials in Moscow, of whom there are very few left at this point, have to Griner. It is customary for an American who is arrested overseas to have

what is known as consular access. So that means if you're arrested in a foreign country where the United States has any sort of diplomatic relations or presence, you are to be granted access to someone from the embassy who can come and talk to you, get more information about your situation, make sure you have a lawyer, make sure you're being treated well, convey messages back to the U.S. government and to your family. In this case, Greiner was denied consular access until March 23rd, over a month after her arrest. So this is the worst possible time for the U.S. to be trying to negotiate with Russia. What did they decide to do? Well, not much happens for several weeks. The Russians are quiet. Greiner is in detention, awaiting the start of her trial.

And then something really dramatic happens. The United States and Russia agree to a prisoner exchange. And an American named Trevor Reed, who is a former U.S. Marine, who had been detained in Russia for a few years on charges of assaulting police officers, is returned home in a dramatic and unusual deal in which President Biden himself personally approves the release of a convicted Russian pilot who flew a plane that was filled with drugs. Brittany Griner is not part of this deal. And I'm sure to her family and friends, she was in a way left behind.

What the Biden administration says by way of explanation is that this was a very unusual circumstance, that Trevor Reed's health was failing, and that he was in essentially an emergency situation. And to leave him in Russia any longer would jeopardize his health. In addition, U.S. officials suggest that this Russian drug smuggler is not that big a deal to them. He served most of his sentence. They're not giving that much up. So it's a trade worth making, given that Reed's health is in danger. So that's their explanation for why they focused on Trevor Reed,

that other prisoner, and not on Brittany Griner. Yes. And however hard that might have been for Griner's family, they still remain basically quiet. But then on May 3rd, the U.S. government says that Greiner was wrongfully detained. What does that mean? Well, that is very significant diplomatic language. It essentially means that she is now seen as a hostage.

And her case indeed is referred to an office of hostage affairs that the U.S. government maintains. OK, so what effect does that have on her case? Well, people start speaking out much more vocally and from all quarters. The WNBA season tipped off last night without seven-time All-Star Brittany Griner, who is still detained in Russia. For one thing, the WNBA season begins without her, but she is a presence in every game. Floor decals of her initials, BG, and the number 42 in all of its arenas. There are references to her case. Players are wearing We Are BG shirts during warm-ups.

It even extends into the NBA, where the Boston Celtics also wear We Are BG shirts. When she was detained, even though we all knew what was going on, we were told by the U.S. government to keep it a little bit more as a low-profile issue. Her case is mentioned during the NBA finals. So I first heard the news through Brittany, actually. She started texting me around 2 a.m. that morning. Babe, babe, babe, wake up.

They have me in this room. On May 25th, Griner's wife goes on Good Morning America and in an emotional interview says that she is a hostage and urges President Biden to do whatever he can. She's a political pun so if they're holding her because they want you to do something then I want you to do it. And a lot of the people speaking out aren't just talking about her profile as a star athlete. She's a Black woman and she's a gay Black woman. All of these things exacerbate her situation. But also about her identity.

Russia has some of the most cruel anti-LGBTQ laws in the world. And how that puts her at particular risk in a place like Russia. It's time for the House to speak with one unified voice. And even the United States Congress. Calls on the government of Russia to immediately release Brittany Griner. Overwhelmingly passes a resolution saying that Brittany must be freed. But why this change in strategy? I mean, why would her friends and her family, and even Congress for that matter, be going out of their way to suddenly amplify her situation. I mean, as you said, Greiner and her family chose to remain silent at first.

And that's oftentimes how hostage situations unfold, right? Usually the families try to stay quiet and, you know, just don't say very much publicly because they want the government to have maximum maneuverability in negotiating the release. That's right. And typically the government urges families to maintain a low profile and says that that is in their best interest.

You know, I think that what happened in this case was the change in designation coupled with the rapidly escalating tensions between the U.S. and Russia made it very clear, number one, that Greiner was in grave danger, that this was not a part of Russia's legal system in any legitimate way. Russia's legal system itself is very problematic. But any hope that this may have been handled in

a straightforward way had evaporated. At the same time, the State Department is making clear that she is tangled up in all these politics. And I think her supporters felt like they weren't seeing any action. It was very difficult to get information about her case. And I think that there was a feeling that it was time to change the strategy. And what did that mean for the Biden administration? Well, it complicates things for the Biden administration. And the it complicates things for the Biden administration. And the risk and I think the concern is that as pressure increases on President Biden, people speak out. There are heartfelt pleas for her release. Congress is demanding action.

That to the extent that her case may be being manipulated by senior Russian officials, potentially in the Kremlin, who have political motives, those officials are not going to be moved to sympathy by these pleas that are coming from the United States. In fact, they are going to see an opportunity. They are going to see that President Biden is under pressure. He is in a difficult position. And they may very well raise their asking price. In other words, the risk and concern is that when you elevate a case like this and you put more pressure on the president, you raise the cost of getting an American like this home. We'll be right back. so michael you said that the asking price for russia is going up do we have any sense of what that asking price is well a lot of this process has been very opaque. We don't know the full details of what the two sides might be offering or demanding. sources saying that the Russian government was interested in the possibility of,

in effect, trading Greiner for a man named Victor Boot. Victor Boot, like the famous Russian arms dealer? Exactly. Rarely does the U.S. government want anyone more than it wanted this man. He is one of the most infamous arms dealers of all time. U.S. government officials say Boot became the world's most notorious arms dealer by fueling civil wars around the world. He may not be familiar to younger listeners, but about 15, 20 years ago, he was virtually a household name. He, in fact, had a nickname, the Merchant of Death, and was the basis for a Nicolas Cage character in a Hollywood movie about a global arms dealer.

I was an equal opportunity merchant of death. I supplied every army but the Salvation Army. And Boot, for better or worse, really warranted the attention. He was a man who, you know, very skillfully, if cynically, exploited the collapse of the Soviet Union. According to the U.S. indictment, Boot had a unique selling point when it came to weapons trafficking. A fleet of cargo airplanes capable of transporting weapons and military equipment anytime, anywhere. And made countless millions of dollars peddling his weapons to conflict zones around the world, fueling terrible civil wars and arming dictators and war criminals, particularly in Africa.

Afghanistan, Colombia, Rwanda, Congo. So really, Victor Boot is sort of the quintessential arms entrepreneur. Ultimately, he was ensnared in a United States federal sting operation and arrested for offering to sell weapons to what turned out to be undercover U.S. federal agents. They said that they were members of a Colombian rebel group and that they wanted weapons partly for the purpose of killing Americans. That, of course, is an extremely grave offense. And in 2011, Boot was convicted and sentenced to 25 years in federal prison where he is now. Would the U.S. government ever go for this? I mean, it's not like it's a soldier being exchanged for a soldier, right? This is a famous basketball player and an arms smuggler.

That's right. And even if the charges against Greiner are what the Russians say they are, this is a minor offense. She allegedly had small amounts of hashish oil for what I think was clearly personal use, if the charges are true. Boot was a notorious international arms dealer who consorted with terrible actors around the world and was willing to sell weapons to people who were considered terrorists by the U.S. government at the time. So, you know, in my reporting, people said that this is not a deal that they thought the U.S. would or should consider unless potentially the Russians were willing to give up more.

And what do you mean by that? Well, there is another American who is considered by the State Department to be wrongfully detained in Russia right now. His name is Paul Whelan, and he has been detained by the Russians since 2019. Whelan was in Moscow when he was arrested on charges of espionage. He, too, like Trevor Reed, who, as we mentioned earlier, was released in a prisoner exchange in April, is a former U.S. Marine. And the Russians say he's a spy. The U.S. says that he is not. There may be some possibility that if the Russians were willing to trade two people for Victor Boot, that might be something that the U.S. could swallow. Having said that, when asked about scenarios like this, the State Department and the White House won't entertain

them, won't say that they're considering a deal for boot. And they repeat this line like a mantra that they do not think that wrongfully detained prisoners should be used as political pawns and that they don't want to incentivize further bad behavior. So although the Russians seem to be signaling that they want boot back and that this could be a way out of this problem. It's still not at all clear whether this is a trade the Biden administration is willing to make. So, Michael, where is Brittany Griner now? I mean, where does her case stand? Well, physically, she is in a jail outside of Moscow, and it looks like a pretty grim place based on photographs. And legally, Greiner's trial began on Friday, officially, but it wasn't much of a beginning.

Two witnesses for the prosecution who were supposed to appear in court just didn't show up. It's unclear why. And the whole thing was kind of a false start. Griner never even entered a plea. Basically, we're just waiting for the trial to resume at this point. This is a trial that could take months to resolve. But given what we know about the Russian legal system, a case like this is virtually certain to result in a conviction. So, Michael, what are the options for the Biden administration at this point? Well, it's obviously a very difficult situation, as is everything to do with our relationship with Russia right now. You know, one option, of course, is for the Biden

administration to stand its ground and continue to tell the Russians that they cannot use prisoners as pawns for which they can win concessions from the United States. Let her trial play out, see what happens, and take it from there. Another is to take a little bit of risk here and initiate some new diplomacy. There's actually one potential interesting opportunity for doing that this week. I'll be traveling this week with Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Indonesia, where he'll be attending a meeting of the G20 foreign ministers, the group of 20 major nations that meet annually. And the Russian foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, will also be attending this meeting in Bali. And Blinken and Lavrov, will also be attending this meeting in Bali.

And Blinken and Lavrov are likely to be in the same room. Now, the State Department says that Blinken has no plans to speak to Lavrov, with whom he has not spoken since before the Russian invasion. And I think it's unlikely that they will speak. But Blinken could approach Lavrov at this gathering or potentially communicate with him through an intermediary. Or the U.S. government could try to reach out to the Russian government through another government in some way that has nothing to do with this meeting and keep that quiet, keep that out of the public eye. So it sounds like all of this leaves Biden in a pretty tricky position, which is presumably what the Russians want. I mean,

if Biden seems like he's not doing anything to help Brittany Griner, he looks terrible, right? At the same time, Biden doesn't want to be openly giving Russia something that they're asking for, especially now, given that they've tried to be so careful about isolating Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. That's exactly right. You know, in the big picture, the Biden administration doesn't want to make concessions to Russia of any kind right now. You know, we are applying close to maximum pressure on Russia in every way, arming Ukraine, pounding Russia with new economic sanctions at every opportunity, trying to essentially derail the Russian economy. But, you know, from Russia's perspective,

this is probably working out fairly well. Vladimir Putin has to be aware that this is an escalating political problem for President Biden. And in addition to the generalized pressure that President Biden is facing, I think that there's, you know, some special circumstances here that make it particularly difficult for the White House and, you know, potentially particularly satisfying for Vladimir Putin, who, as we know, has sought to stoke social divisions inside of the United States before, including when Russia interfered in the 2016 presidential election. And what I mean by that are issues to do with Greiner's identity and frustrations among her supporters that more is not being done to help her, potentially, they say, because of who she is and what she looks like and what

the nature of her sexuality is. And I'm thinking specifically of an interview that the coach of the Phoenix Mercury, which is the WNBA team that Greiner plays for, she gave an interview over the weekend in which she said that if it had been LeBron James who was arrested in Russia, he would be home by now. And she said, the fact that Greiner is not back is a statement about the value of women. It's a statement about the value of a black person. It's a statement about the value of a gay person, all of those things. We know it. And so that's what hurts a little more. That's a quote from the coach. little more. That's a quote from the coach. And, you know, that's the kind of thing that Vladimir Putin, I'm sure, is happy to see President Biden having to contend with. Right. The Russians have proven themselves quite skilled in exploiting American political

divisions in the past. Absolutely. And where does all of this leave Brittany Griner? all of this leave Brittany Griner? Well, terrified in her own words. And we know this because of the disclosure of a handwritten letter that Griner wrote that was delivered to the White House. She addressed it to President Biden. And I can read you what it said. And I can read you what it said. As I sit here in a Russian prison, alone with my thoughts and without the protection of my wife, family, friends, Olympic jersey, or any accomplishments, I'm terrified I might be here forever. On the 4th of July, our family normally honors the service of those who fought for our freedom, including my father, who is a Vietnam War veteran. It hurts thinking about how I usually celebrate this day,

because freedom means something completely different to me this year. Michael, thank you. Thank you. Thank you. So I can say that the President did read the letter. I was there when he read the letter. This is something, Brittney Griner being held in Moscow, we believe the Federation is wrongfully, she's being wrongfully detained in Moscow at this time. This is an issue that is a priority for this president. On Tuesday, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre acknowledged that President Biden had received Brittany Griner's letter and said the administration will use, quote,

every tool they can to bring Griner and other U.S. citizens who've been wrongfully detained back. And you saw the work that his administration did to bring home Trevor Reed. That is the same work, the same focus that we did and put behind bringing Trevor Reed home. We're going to do the same with Brittany Greiner and others. We'll be right back. Here's what I'll tune you to know today. On Tuesday, new details emerged about a gunman who killed at least seven people at a July 4th parade in Highland Park, Illinois. Police said the shooter had planned the massacre for weeks, used a high-powered rifle that

he had legally purchased, fired more than 70 bullets into the crowd, and disguised himself in women's clothing so that he would blend in as he escaped the scene. Police also said they had seized weapons from the shooter in 2019, confiscating 16 knives, a dagger, and a sword after family members had reported to officers that the man had planned to, quote, kill everyone. The man was not charged in that incident, but it raised questions about why he was able to purchase several guns in the years since, including the one used on July 4th. Authorities charged the man with seven counts of first-degree murder, which would carry a mandatory sentence of life without parole if he's convicted. And British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is fighting for his political survival after two of his senior ministers resigned in what appeared to be a coordinated move against him. The resignations

came after it was revealed that Johnson had given a powerful government job to a member of parliament, Chris Pinscher, whom Johnson knew had been accused of groping men. Since taking the job, Pinscher has allegedly groped more men. So do you accept it was a grave error to appoint Chris Pinscher to your government? Yes, I think it was a mistake and I apologize for it. I think in hindsight it was the wrong thing to do. Johnson has since apologized for the appointment, and Pincher himself has resigned. I just want to make absolutely clear that there's no place in this government for anybody who is predatory or who abuses their position of power. Today's episode was produced by Claire Tennesketter, Eric Krupke, Carlos Prieto, and Will Reed.

It was edited by John Ketchum and Michael Benoit, contains original music by Marion Lozano, Dan Powell, and Rowan Nemisto, and was engineered by Chris Wood. Our theme music is by Jim Brunberg and Ben Landsberg of Wonderly. That's it for The Daily. I'm Sabrina Tavernisi.

See you tomorrow.