White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre holds a briefing after the release of Brittney Griner, Phoenix Mercury center and two-time Olympic gold medalist, who had been held in Russian prisons.
RELATED: Brittney Griner released from Russian imprisonment after prisoner swap
Phoenix Mercury center and WNBA All-Star Brittney Griner has been released from a Russian penal colony and is in United States custody after a prisoner exchange for arms dealer Viktor Bout, President Biden confirmed Thursday morning.
Senior administration officials said Griner had been released from the penal colony within the last 48 hours and taken to Moscow before flying to the United Arab Emirates and is currently on her way back to the United States. CBS News was first to report the exchange.
In a news conference at the White House, Biden said the exchange had been in the works for the past two weeks, and that he had given the final go-ahead. He added that he had spoken with Griner on the phone. Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, was at the White House on Thursday.
ยป Subscribe to USA TODAY:
ยป Watch more on this and other topics from USA TODAY:
ยป USA TODAY delivers current local and national news, sports, entertainment, finance, technology, and more through award-winning journalism, photos, videos and VR.
#Live #WhiteHouse #PressConference
So what she is saying…. is that this was a decision that was made lightly. Right
๐ – ะะVะ ะ GะะD ะขIะะ – FIND YะUR LะVะ! ๐๐ฅd๐
People: *BOOOOOO!*
Brittney Griner : *Are they saying “BOOOOO”?*
Cherelle Griner: *No, they’re saying BOOOOritney.*
Brandon: *I was saying BOOOOritney.*
How are these people proud of anything? The traded A LITERAL ARMS DEALER WITH THE NICKNAME MERCHANT OF DEATH FOR A WNBA PLAYER.