Elon Musk Fires Scathing Question at Joe Biden Over Brittney Griner Efforts
Tesla CEO Elon Musk grilled U.S. President Joe Biden regarding the administration's efforts to bring back WNBA player Brittney Griner home.
The New York Post reported that Musk rhetorically asked on an episode of the "Full Send" podcast this week that if the president is "working so hard to free someone who is in jail in Russia for some week, shouldn't we free people in America?" The Tesla CEO added that there are people in America who are in jail for the same reason.
Musk went on to say that his opinion is that people should not be imprisoned for non-violent drug crimes.
The billionaire has a history of criticizing the U.S. justice system regarding marijuana-related crimes in the past.
U.S. President Joe Biden on Brittney Griner
Biden announced on Friday that his administration was "working hard" and hoping to get Brittney Griner back, including negotiations with Russa.
The Courier Mail noted that the Biden administration has considered the possibility of swapping Griner for known arms dealer Viktor Grout, who was known by the alias "Merchant of Death."
Russian officials said that talks of prisoner exchange could not go on before Griner's trial was complete. However, even with an official verdict and sentence, a deal about prisoner swap may not happen right away, according to a The New York Times report.
Jared Genser, a human rights lawyer who represents Americans held by foreign governments, said that Russian leader Vladimir Putin has not said yes right away. Genser added that it would mean he looked at the first offer and thought that he could get more than that.
Rep. Mike Waltz, Republican of Florida, told media outlet Newsmax that it was why dictatorships take Americans as hostages as they know they will get something for it.
Former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, said that freeing Bout would likely cause more Americans to be arrested abroad.
Brittney Griner in Russia
The WNBA star has been sentenced to nine and a half years in her trial on drug charges in Moscow. Her sentence was close to the maximum term possible.
The Washington Post report stated that Griner could be sent to a penal colony if diplomatic efforts or the appeal were to fail.
The penal system in Russia has one of the highest incarceration rates in a European country, which houses around 520,000 inmates. Most prison facilities in Russia are considered penal colonies, with inmates required to perform labor during their sentence.
Griner played for the UMMC Ekaterinburg team based in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg during the WNBA offseason. She is also a two-time Olympic gold medalist.
She was detained in February over vape cartridges with less than a gram of cannabis oil. She pleaded guilty last month.
The prosecution argued that the 0.702 grams of cannabis found in her luggage after she landed at Moscow airport were a "significant" amount.
Griner noted that she had made "an honest mistake under stress" as she was rushing to pack the things.
This article is owned by Latin Post.
Written by: Mary Webber
WATCH: New hope for Brittney Griner prisoner exchange - from ABC News