Biden to Meet With Families of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan
(CNN) -- President Joe Biden is scheduled to meet with the families of Brittney Griner and Paul Whelan at the White House on Friday, marking his first time personally meeting with them since their loved ones were detained in Russia.White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday that Biden will meet with Griner's wife, Cherelle Griner, and Whelan's sister, Elizabeth Whelan, to assure them his administration is committed to securing the release of their loved ones and that they remain "front of mind." Biden will meet with them separately, an official said."One of the things that the President wanted to make clear is, and one of the reasons he's meeting with the families, is that he wanted to let them know that they remain front of mind and that his team is working on this every day, on making sure that Brittney and Paul return home safely," Jean-Pierre said.The Biden administration has repeatedly said that working to secure Griner and Whelan's release, as well as that of Americans wrongfully detained abroad, is a top priority.
In late July, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that the US had put forward a "substantial proposal" to try to secure the release of Griner and Whelan.
Sources told CNN that proposal included a swap for convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout.Griner was detained in February for carrying vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.
The two-time US Olympic basketball gold medalist pleaded guilty to drug charges and said she accidentally packed the drugs while in a hurry.
