Brittney Griner arrest: GOP congressmen urge Biden admin to stand up to 'bully' Putin amid star's detention

Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind, joined 'Fox & Friends' to discuss the U.S. role in helping Ukrainian refugees amid the Russian invasion.

EXCLUSIVE: In the wake of WNBA star Brittney Griner’s detention in Russia, U.S. Reps. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., and Burgess Owens, R-Utah, have called on the Biden administration to send a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin, letting him know Americans will not be held as political pawns in the midst of the country’s invasion of Ukraine.

Donalds and Burgess, in a letter to President Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken – and exclusively obtained by Fox News Digital – acknowledged Griner may have violated Russian law but wrote that her detention since sometime in February was concerning given the deteriorating geopolitical climate.

"Today, we write to you regarding the unfortunate case of Women's National Basketball Association (W.N.B.A) star Center Brittney Griner who remains in a Russian prison for violating the country's illegal substance laws," the Congress members wrote. "Every American – regardless of their race, gender, or socioeconomic status – must adhere to the rules of every sovereign nation. While we are not here to call balls and strikes on Russian law, we are very concerned about Mrs. Griner’s detention under the current and rapidly deteriorating circumstances in Russia and Eastern Europe.

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U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, Feb. 25, 2022. (Getty Images)

"While Mrs. Griner made a grave mistake, we condemn the Russian government’s utilization of her as a pawn to further their ruthless and sick goal of fulfilling the reincarnation of the Union of