Why Is A Russian Foreign Ministry Official Comparing Brittney Griner To FBI Raid On Trump's Mar-a-Lago?

Russia's foreign ministry drew a confusing link between Brittney Griner's drug smuggling conviction and the FBI raid on former President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate, saying the White House can't criticize one without commenting on the other. 

"Let me remind you, Griner was smuggling cartridges of liquid for smoking, which contained hashish oil. The basketball player herself admitted this, since there was no point in denying it," Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova wrote in a Telegram post on Monday, according to a translation by Reuters.

"At the same time, the White House refuses to comment on the investigation around Trump and the seizure of certain documents related to the White House from him. Complete silence, although we are talking about American justice and law enforcement," Zakharova added, per Reuters.

Zakharova made the strange comparison as Griner’s lawyers announced it will appeal the draconian nine-year prison sentence handed down on August 4. 

Griner's lawyer Maria Blagovolina told CNN on Monday that she and her team had filed an appeal against a Russian court's verdict sentencing the WNBA star to nine years in prison after being arrested for possession of a small amount of cannabis oil found in her suitcase. It was not immediately clear when that appeal would be heard.

Meanwhile on Saturday, The Moscow Times reported that a Russian diplomat officially confirmed for the first time that Moscow seeks convicted arms dealer Viktor Bout to be a part of the proposed Brittney Griner prisoner swap that would also include former Marine Paul Whelan.

The Washington Post reported late last week that the Russian Foreign Ministry said talks are going forward via a channel set up by Presidents Biden and Vladimir Putin when they met in Geneva in June 2021.

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