The State Department says the missed call, which would have been the first time Griner and her wife had spoken in four months, was due to a 'logistical error'
Photo: Michael Gonzales/NBAE via Getty Images A planned phone call between WNBA all-star Brittney Griner and her wife on their fourth anniversary — the first opportunity for the couple to speak by phone in the more than four months since Griner was detained by Russian authorities — didn’t happen because of an apparent screw-up by the U.S. embassy in Russia.
The State Department said Monday that it was aware of the issue and was looking into it. Cherelle Griner said a contact in the U.S. government had apologized to her for the error. She said she’s since learned that the one number Brittney Griner had been told to dial typically processes calls from prisoners on Mondays through Fridays but not weekends.
The State Department later said in a statement that “we deeply regret that Brittney Griner was unable to speak with her wife because of a logistical error.” The botched call is but the latest distressing development in Griner’s ordeal. The two-time Olympian was arrested and detained on February 17 after Russian authorities claimed they found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her bag and accused her of drug smuggling. Her detention wasn’t acknowledged until a month later, and initially, Griner’s family and the U.S. seemed to be trying to keep her situation on the down-low while attempts were made to secure her release.
The athlete’s loved ones have grown increasingly frustrated with the U.S. response, the AP reports, and Cherelle Griner said this latest incident has shattered her confidence in the U.S. government’s ability to help. “I find it unacceptable and I have zero trust in our government right now,” she said.
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