Russian authorities arrested Griner last month, claiming she had cannabis oil in her luggage and charged her with smuggling large quantities of drugs, an offense punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Speaking to CNN’s Don Lemon, a Texas congressman said the US embassy requested consular access to it, but was denied for three weeks.
Allred acknowledged that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine hangs over the entire issue of Griner’s return to the US.
“For Britney’s sake, we don’t want her to be part of this kind of political battle that’s going on and we want to make sure her rights are respected and that we can access her and that she can go through the process and get home as soon as possible.” faster,” Allred told CNN on Thursday.
Allred said Griner has contacted her Russian lawyer, who is in touch with her agent and her family back home.
“So we know she’s fine,” Allred said, adding that he also spoke to the player’s agent.
CNN reached out to Russian officials, the US embassy in Moscow and the US State Department for comment about Griner’s access to the consulate, but received no response.
“They should just know that our government, the State Department, people like me, in Congress from the Foreign Affairs Committee, we will do everything possible to bring her home, to bring home any other American who has been unfairly detained.” Allred said, speaking of American families in state custody.
READ: UK sanctions Russian oligarch and Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich
Griner’s whereabouts are not publicly known. CNN reached out to the Russian Foreign Ministry for comment, but received no response.
This week, a member of the U.S. House Armed Services Committee said it would be “very difficult” to get Griner out of Russia under the current circumstances.
“Our diplomatic relationship with Russia does not exist at the moment,” Democratic Rep. John Garamendi of California told CNN on Monday.
“Perhaps, during the various negotiations that may take place, it can become one of the solutions. I do not know”.
He also noted that “Russia has very, very strict rules and laws for LGBT people,” though it’s not clear if those rules and laws could affect Griner’s case.
Russia passed a law on LGBTQ and banned “propaganda of non-traditional sexual relations among minors.”
In an Instagram post, Griner’s wife described the agony of waiting.
“People say, ‘Stay busy.’ However, there is no task in this world that can keep any of us from worrying about you. My heart, our hearts skip beats every day,” Sherel Griner wrote on Monday.
“There are no words to express this pain. I’m hurt, we’re hurt.”
Over the weekend, she thanked supporters and asked for privacy “as we continue to work to ensure that my wife returns home safely.”
Melissa Alonso of CNN, Lucy Kafanov, Wayne Sterling, Rosa Flores, Lisa France, Chris Boyette and Chenel Woody contributed to this report.