Dennis Rodman says he’ll go to Russia to push for Brittney Griner’s release
Global News
Dennis Rodman believes he can 'help' free Brittney Griner, but the Biden administration does not think the same.
Former NBA player and self-appointed diplomat Dennis Rodman said he is making plans to travel to Russia to call for the release of WNBA player Brittney Griner, who was sentenced to nine years in prison earlier this month.
In an interview with NBC, Rodman, 61, said he “got permission to go to Russia to help that girl.”
He said he is trying to travel to the country this week.
Griner, 31, was sentenced on drug charges after a Russian court found the two-time Olympic gold medallist guilty of deliberately bringing cannabis-infused vape cartridges — which are illegal — into the country.
U.S. President Joe Biden has condemned the verdict, calling it “unacceptable.”
Though Rodman — who has had controversial “relationships” with various international leaders, including Kim Jong Un — believes he can “help” Griner, the Biden administration does not think the same.
“It’s public information that the administration has made a significant offer to the Russians and anything other than negotiating further through the established channel is likely to complicate and hinder release efforts,” a senior Biden official said.
The offer in question is a prisoner swap between the U.S. and Russia, in which the U.S. proposed to trade Griner and Canadian-American Paul Whelan for imprisoned Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout.
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