American basketball star Brittney Griner pleaded guilty Thursday to drug possession on the second day of her trial in a Russian court in a case that could have sent her to prison for up to 10 years. The sharp guilty plea from the Phoenix Mercury center and two-time Olympic gold medalist came amid a growing chorus of calls for Washington to do more to secure her freedom nearly five months after her February arrest amid rising tensions between U.S. and Russia for Ukraine. . A senior Russian diplomat said earlier that Moscow could not take action in Griner’s case until the trial is over and that her guilty plea could be an attempt by her and her advisers to speed up the court proceedings. Griner, 31, was arrested at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport while returning to play basketball in Russia, and police said they found vapor cans containing cannabis oil in her luggage. Speaking through an interpreter, Griner told the court that she did not intend to commit a crime and acted unintentionally because she had hurriedly arranged for Moscow. The trial was then adjourned until July 14. Griner stressed “that she committed this act negligently, unintentionally,” her lawyer, Maria Blagovolina, said outside the court in the Moscow suburb of Khimki after pleading guilty. “We hope of course for the leniency of the court,” he said. “Taking into account all the circumstances of the case, taking into account the personality of our client, we believe that a guilty plea should definitely be considered.” Blagovolina added that other defense witnesses would be questioned at a later hearing. Griner was escorted into the courtroom in handcuffs and dressed in a bright red “Crenshaw” T-shirt and pants. She also held a photo of her wife, Cherelle. White House press secretary Karin Jean-Pierre said Griner’s guilty plea “will have no impact on any of the negotiations” surrounding her case. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said Washington would continue to work for the release of Griner, as well as other Americans held by Moscow, including former Marine Paul Whelan. “We will not back down until Brittney, Paul Whelan and all other wrongfully imprisoned Americans are reunited with their loved ones,” he tweeted, noting that US embassy officials attended again on Thursday. Elizabeth Rudd, the embassy’s deputy chief of mission, said after the hearing that she spoke with Griner in the courtroom and shared with her a letter she read from President Joe Biden. “He’s eating well, he can read books and under the circumstances he’s doing well,” Rudd said. “I would like to reiterate the commitment of the US government at the highest level to the safe repatriation of Ms. Griner and all illegally detained US citizens, as well as the commitment of the US Embassy in Moscow to care for and protect interests of all American citizens detained or imprisoned in Russia,” Rudd said. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov commented on the US characterization of Griner as an “unjustified prisoner” and warned that “the US side’s efforts to make noise in public … do not help in the practical settlement of issues.” The White House said Biden called Cheryl Griner on Wednesday to assure her he was doing everything he could to win her release as soon as possible. They spoke after Biden read a letter from Griner in which she said she feared she would never come home. Washington has not revealed its strategy in the case, and the US may have little leverage with Moscow because of strong animosity over its actions in Ukraine. The State Department’s designation of Griner as an unlawful detainer moves her case under the supervision of the president’s special envoy for hostage affairs, effectively the administration’s chief hostage negotiator. Asked about the possibility of exchanging Griner for a Russian jailed in the US, Ryabkov, the senior Russian diplomat, noted that until her trial is over “there are no official or procedural reasons to talk about further steps.” He warned that the US criticism, including describing Griner as unjustly imprisoned and dismissive comments about the Russian justice system, “makes it difficult to engage in detailed discussion of any possible exchanges.” “The persistence with which the US government … describes those sentenced to prison terms for serious crimes and those awaiting the conclusion of investigations and judicial decisions as ‘unreasonably detained’ reflects Washington’s refusal to take a sober view of the abroad. people,” drawled Ryabkov. Griner’s trial was suspended after it began last week after two scheduled witnesses failed to appear. Such delays are routine in Russian courts and her detention has been approved until December 20, suggesting the process could take months. Griner’s legal team, however, said they expect the trial to conclude around early August. Although Griner’s supporters initially kept a low profile, calls for Washington to act intensified after the first day of the trial on July 1. An organization called Win With Black Women wrote Biden saying Blinken called Cherelle Griner, “reassuring her and publicly stating that Brittney’s safe return was a matter of personal priority; however, we are concerned that the rhetoric does not appear to be aligned with the actions that have taken place to date. We urge you to make an arrangement to get Brittney home quickly.” Russian media have repeatedly speculated that Griner could be traded for Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, nicknamed “The Merchant of Death,” who is serving a 25-year sentence in the U.S. after being convicted of conspiring to kill American citizens and providing assistance to a terrorist organization. Russia has been agitating for Bout’s release for years. But the wide discrepancy between Griner’s alleged wrongdoing and Bout’s global dealings in lethal weapons could make such a trade unpalatable to Washington. Others suggested he could be traded for Paul Whelan, the former marine and security director who served 16 years in Russia on a spying conviction that the US has described as a facility. Whelan’s brother, David, said he didn’t have enough information to know whether Griner’s plea would be good or bad news for her and his brother. “The conviction rate is so high in Russia and so certain, that I could see the guilty plea as an attempt to just move the process along,” David Whelan said, noting that the Russian government would not discuss “any release of Ms. Griner until he is convicted, sentenced and appeals or seeks clemency.” Her appeal likely means that Washington and Moscow “will be able to pursue a solution more quickly than they could before. But it does not change the underlying calculus that the US must find a concession that Russia will accept in order to return either both Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan,” he added. Griner’s agent, Lindsay Kagawa Colas, tweeted: “Brittney Griner was a role model of courage today” who “deserves our compassion, understanding, love and support.” Colas thanked Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for “reaffirming their commitment to bring BG and all Americans home and hope that out of respect for the sanctity of sports internationally, BG can come home as soon as possible.” The WNBA players union said in a statement that it stands by Griner, noting the 99 percent conviction rate in Russian courts. “You can’t navigate it or even understand it like our legal system,” said WNBAPA Executive Director Terri Jackson. “What we do know is that the US State Department has determined that Brittney Griner was wrongfully detained for a reason, and we’ll leave it at that.” WNBA Commissioner Kathy Engelbert said Griner “has the wholehearted and unconditional support of the entire WNBA and NBA family, who look forward to her safe return, and the league will recognize BG as an honorable start to the WNBA This weekend’s All-Star Game.” Russia has shown no signs of backing down. “This is a serious crime, confirmed by indisputable evidence… Attempts to present the case as if the American was illegally detained cannot stand,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexei Zaitsev said on Wednesday. “The law has been broken, and arguments about the innocent nature of Griner’s addiction, which, by the way, is punishable in some US states, are inappropriate in this case,” he said.
AP basketball writer Doug Feinberg in New York and Ellen Knickmeyer and Seung Min Kim in Washington contributed.
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