Posted on 07/07/2022 9:52:51 AM PDT by MarvinStinson
Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty to a drug charge Thursday in a Russian court.
"I'd like to plead guilty, your honor. But there was no intent. I didn't want to break the law," Griner said in court. "I'd like to give my testimony later. I need time to prepare."
"If she wants to return home and she believes they're working on a prisoner swap, the faster that this proceeding ends, the faster she can get home," said William Pomeranz, an expert on Russian law.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said members of the U.S. Embassy in Moscow attended the hearing and "delivered to her a letter from President Biden."
"We will not relent until Brittney, Paul Whelan, and all other wrongfully detained Americans are reunited with their loved ones," Blinken stated in the tweet.
Bringing Griner home 'a priority' for the U.S. Griner has been behind bars since Feb. 17 when she flew into a Moscow airport and Russian customs officials allegedly found vape cartridges containing hashish oil in her luggage. She has been under investigation for the large-scale transportation of drugs.
In court Thursday, Griner told the court she accidentally packed the vape cartridges in her luggage.
A day after Griner sent a handwritten letter to President Joe Biden, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Tuesday that Griner's release "is a priority for this president."
(Excerpt) Read more at aol.com ...
I do remember that...didn’t realize we were talking about the same guys.
He says he’s scared he might be in Russia forever. No, the penalty is up to 10 years. Plenty of time to come back and father some children.
The calls to bring her home bother me. If this was a case where it appeared that the Russian authorities planted drugs on her, YES, I would call for diplomatic protection for her, even though she has disrespected this country in the past. That doesn’t seem to be the case here. She had multiple vape cartridges of cannabis in her carry-on luggage. She broke Russian law. This is not a set-up. If I were in those same circumstances, no one would be calling on the President of USA to rescue me. I would be allowed to rot in a Russian prison for 10 years because I’m a nobody. The calls for her rescue are predicated on the fact that she’s a quasi-celebrity. I’m sick and tired of the two-tiered justice system, one for elites and one for everyone else. Case in point, there were no efforts on the part of the US to bring Amanda Knox home when she was being railroaded on ridiculous murder charges in Italy. Too bad she wasn’t an athlete, maybe then she wouldn’t have had to go through the ordeal she endured.
Brittney Griner broke the law in a sovereign nation. She should face the consequences.
It is a black, female LGQBT+. That will evoke more sympathy from the leftists than any American POW ever would.
Two of those qualifications alone were all that was required for a SCOTUS shoe in.
Blowback will be brutal for Biden if he does not get this anomaly back soon.
Imagine the outrage if when Putin offers it up and Biden refuses. Putin should be able to get several Russian POW's in exchange for it.
You're kidding! How about she gets the same sentence a Russian would get after pleading guilty?
(S)he looks like (S)he can take care of itself in a soviet gulag — maybe even get more prison tats!
Of course there was intent.
“free ride home in order to placate the Vegetable’s base over this kneeling hater of America? “
Good point.
Prisoner swap is ludicrous.
Those oil field workers are going to need companionship, usually on an hourly basis. They won’t care that she’s a lesbian. Any port in a storm as it were.
too tall she will be a banana picker
She may be able to take care of herself against any one female prisoner. But she won’t be up against just one.
And then there’s the male guards.
Go for a double win:
Make the video of her singing “God Bless America”
“He says he’s scared he might be in Russia forever. No, the penalty is up to 10 years. Plenty of time to come back and father some children.”
Not sure if you are joking or not. “He” is a “she” and not capable of fathering children.
Yes of course. He is a great basketball player I hear.
“I honestly feel we should not play the national anthem during our season. I think we should take that much of a stand.”
So, hates America, (apparently) smuggles drugs, and some see her as a "victim" worth diplomatic effort of any kind?
Correction: I see on Fox tonight that while Reed was released, Whelan is still imprisoned.
You intended to buy illegal drugs in a foreign country for personal use. Lying to the judge during arraignment is unwise. I’m sensing a pattern here.
Her justice will turn exceedingly slow and Trump will be President when she is finally swapped. Salt in the wound and all.
I will be watching to see if Paul Whelan or anyone else gets set free, or if its just the triple woke person (woman, black, queer) that gets freed.
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