President Joe Biden is in Texas Tuesday but won’t be meeting with the family of a former U.S. Marine stuck in a Russian jail, a decision White House press secretary Jen Psaki defended aboard Air Force One.
Psaki was asked about Trevor Reed and WNBA star Brittney Griner, a pair of Texans who are stuck in Russia, as Biden heads to the Lone Star State to talk about healthcare access for veterans.
WNBA SUPERSTAR BRITTNEY GRINER HELD IN RUSSIA ON DRUG CHARGES AFTER AIRPORT MARIJUANA BUST
“On the case of Trevor Reed, I can tell you that our national security adviser met with his family back in the fall and that we are working on a time for the president to meet with his family over the short term as well,” Psaki told reporters accompanying the president to Fort Worth. “I don’t have a time or a date on that or anything like that, but this is something that we are going to work toward.”
Reed is an American citizen who has been detained and jailed in Russia for over two years. He recently ended a six-day hunger strike that he said left him very sick.
Reed is serving a nine-year prison sentence handed down in July 2020 for an alleged altercation with Russian police officers. He and his family have denied the charges.
Griner is being held in Russia after she was allegedly caught with illegal drugs at an airport in Moscow. Psaki said she couldn’t speak about the case due to lacking a privacy waiver.
She added that Biden hopes to meet with Reed’s family soon.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
“I’d say that we are working toward setting up a meeting with his family,” said Psaki. “The president is looking forward to doing that, and, again, our national security adviser met with his family back in the fall, but we weren’t able to make it happen on this trip.”
