Tulsi Gabbard blasts Kamala Harris' 'hypocrisy' for Brittney Griner response after marijuana lockups as AG
Brittney Griner was sentenced to 9 years in a Russian prison on a drug charge this week
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Former Democratic congresswoman and presidential candidate Tulsi Gabbard slammed Vice President Kamala Harris' record on marijuana prosecution after Harris condemned Russia's imprisonment of WNBA star Brittney Griner on a cannabis charge.
"Another note of hypocrisy coming from Kamala Harris and this administration is you mentioned during her illustrious record as attorney general in California…she kept prisoners in prison longer than their sentences to use them as free slave labor yet at the same time these very same people are condemning other countries for doing the exact same thing," Gabbard told Fox News host Will Cain.
Griner was sentenced by a Russian court to 9 years in prison this week after being caught with a cannabis vape pen at an airport near Moscow earlier this year.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The sentence earned widespread condemnation from U.S. officials including Harris who said she is working to secure Griner's release.
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US Vice President Kamala Harris speaks during a meeting with North Carolina state legislators on reproductive rights at the Carole Hoefener Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, US, on Thursday, July 21, 2022. (Grant Baldwin/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"With today’s sentencing, Russia continues its wrongful detention of Brittney Griner. She should be released immediately," Harris tweeted on Thursday. "@POTUS and I, and our entire Administration, are working every day to reunite Brittney, as well as Paul Whelan, with loved ones who miss each of them dearly."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Gabbard, who pointed out that she also opposes Griner's sentence, said that the "thing that struck me" about the tweet from Harris is that her administration has not expressed the same sentiment for people accused of marijuana crimes domestically.
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Brittany Griner is escorted by police before her hearing in Russia. (Getty Images)
"Where is your outrage for your fellow Americans who are sitting in prison today here in the United States of America for minor marijuana violations," Gabbard said. "How come you are not fighting as hard for them to be returned home and reunited with their families as you are for Brittney Griner."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Gabbard added that she believes Harris is sending the message that the rich and powerful in the United States will be treated differently than average Americans when it comes to prosecuting marijuana crimes.
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Tulsi Gabbard, former Representative from Hawaii, speaks during the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Orlando, Florida, U.S., on Friday, Feb. 25, 2022. (Tristan Wheelock/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
"Unfortunately, like too many politicians, it seems that she puts her finger to the wind and decides the things she's supposed to be angry about on any given day and if it becomes politically inconvenient or damaging then she'll switch the other way," Gabbard said about Harris prosecuting marijuana offenders as California's attorney general.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Fox News Digital.