Brittney Griner's letter to President Biden 'won't change a thing' without more public pressure, expert says
- Brittney Griner has been wrongfully detained in Russia since her February arrest on drug charges.
- The WNBA superstar wrote a letter to President Joe Biden in an appeal to secure her freedom.
More than four months into her wrongful detainment in Russia, Brittney Griner attempted to take matters into her own hands.
The WNBA superstar penned an Independence Day letter to President Joe Biden, in which she wrote that she's "terrified I might be here forever" and pleaded for him to do "whatever you can do at this moment to get me home."
And while the note "did exactly what it was intended to do — pull on America's heartstrings on the 4th of July," one legal expert warned that it "won't change a thing" unless the public increases pressure on Biden and his administration.
"Well-crafted rhetoric aside, Griner is still on far too few people's radar," Aron Solomon, the chief legal analyst for Esquire Digital, told Insider. "While this would be a superb lead-in story for major network news... no one will give it the attention it deserves."
Griner, the 6-foot-9 center for the Phoenix Mercury, was taken into Russian custody on February 17 after customs agents at Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport claimed they found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage. She faces up to 10 years in prison for her charges, and Solomon previously told Insider that the two-time Olympic gold medalist "will not be afforded a fair and equitable legal process."
From the early days following Griner's arrest, the Biden administration quietly worked to negotiate her release and safe return to the US. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert told Insider the muted response contributed to the league's internal strategy to "say less and push more privately."
But early in May, the US shifted its approach by officially designating Griner as "wrongfully detained" — a move that sends a "strong signal that the US government does not believe that there is a legitimate case against her," one expert who has navigated several hostage situations previously told Insider.
The "wrongfully detained" designation also enabled the seven-time All-Star's friends, family, teammates, and supporters to openly campaign for her return to the States. Griner's wife, Cherelle, has made several TV appearances in recent weeks in an effort to draw attention to the case.
Ultimately, Biden and his administration are understood to be the sole entity capable of securing Griner's freedom.
"The President's team is in regular contact with Brittney's family and we will continue to work to support her family," National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement. "National Security Advisor [Jake] Sullivan and Secretary [of State Antony] Blinken have spoken several times with Brittney's wife in recent weeks and the White House is closely coordinating with the Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs, who has met with Brittney's family, her teammates, and her support network."
Cherelle has repeatedly lamented in public the fact that she still has not spoken to Biden about her wife's case, adding that she's eager to do so to help bring "my person back."
But the only way to do that, Solomon explains, is by bringing more attention to her case.
"Only if and when her wrongful detention can become viral on our social media networks will there be the kind of pressure on the government necessary to do exactly what Griner asked in her letter today: to keep her front of mind," he said.
Griner's proceedings began July 1 and her next appearance is scheduled for Thursday. But experts tell Insider the hearings are nothing more than a "show trial" with a "predetermined" outcome: a guilty verdict for the two-time Olympic gold medalist.