White House press secretary Jen Psaki refused to comment when asked if WNBA star Brittney Griner was being held as Vladimir Putin’s “bargaining chip.”
Ms Psaki told her daily briefing that discussing specifics in this kind of case was “not constructive to bringing people home.”
Ms Griner is being detained in Russia after customs officials claimed they found cartridges of hashish oil in her luggage at the Sheremetyevo Alexander S Pushkin International Airport near Moscow in February.
Her arrest of 17 February came just days before Vladimir Putin’s unprovoked assault on Ukraine that has seen Russia hit with massive US sanctions.
Ms Psaki was asked about the latest on Ms Griner by White House correspondent April Ryan on Thursday.
“Well, we have of course seen he reports, I cannot speak to the specifics of it as we do not have a Privacy Act waiver, but our objective is always to bring American citizens home who are detained in foreign countries, so that will remain our focus and that is what we would like to see the end outcome to be,” said Ms Psaki,
She was then asked if Griner was being used as a “bargaining chip” between Russia and the US.
“Again, I can’t speak to the specifics of this case, I certainly understand why you are asking, but our focus right now on how we are going to bring an end to the conflict is to support and boost up the Ukrainians, to support diplomatic conversations and to continue to provide a range of assistance in that light.”
And she added: “For any American held, we do not typically get into specifics as that is not constructive to bringing people home.”
Tom Firestone, a lawyer who spent eight years as the US Department of Justice’s resident legal adviser in Moscow, told ESPN that Griner has been charged with illegal crossing of a customs border with illegal narcotics, which can carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
He said that if it is determined Griner had a “significant” amount, more than 2.5 grams, she could face 10 to 20 years.
“Her calculus should be to get the best Russian lawyer that she can, scrutinize the evidence, see what legal challenges she may have to the evidence, and try to get it through the system that way,” Mr Firestone told ESPN.
“I don’t think she’s going to find much help from the political sphere at this point.”
Experts have warned that Putin could use the athlete as a pawn in the ongoing tension surrounding the Ukraine war.
In a video released by Russia, Ms Griner can be seen in the video placing her luggage for security check at the airport, as officials start to check the contents of her bags. They also released a photograph of the athlete in custody
“I really wouldn’t put past Russia to manufacture a story about an athlete who’s from the United States,” Adrienne Lawrence, a California attorney and legal commentator for The Young Turks said. “They wanted us, in terms of the American people, to know that they had her.”
Ms Griner plays for both the WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury and the Russian basketball club UMMC Ekaterinburg.
The Phoenix Mercury, says it is working to get her released.
“We are aware of and are closely monitoring the situation with Brittney Griner in Russia,” the team said in a statement. “We remain in constant contact with her family, her representation, the WNBA and NBA. We love and support Brittney and at this time our main concern is her safety, physical and mental health, and her safe return home.”
