Former NBA champion Dennis Rodman has refused to travel to Russia to release imprisoned WNBA star Britney Griner.
Rodman, who has traveled frequently to North Korea over the weekend and considers dictator Kim Jong Un a “friend”, said he received permission to travel to Russia to pick up Griner, who was imprisoned in February of this year, after authorities arrested him. a CBD vape cartridge in its trunk.
National Women’s Basketball Association (WNBA) basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport and later charged with illegal marijuana possession, holds a photo of her pre-trial team in Khimki standing on the docks. Near Moscow, August 4, 2022. (Getty Images via EVGENIA NOVOZHENINA/POOL/AFP)
“I have permission to go to Russia to help this woman,” Rodman told NBC News. “I’ll try to go this week.”
Rodman changed his mind Monday after an unidentified State Department official criticized his travel plans.
Former American NBA basketball player Dennis Rodman (centre) speaks to the media on his way to Beijing International Airport on December 19, 2013. Rodman is visiting North Korea from December 19-23. (WANG ZHAO/AFP, Getty Images)
“It is public knowledge that the administration has made an important offer to the Russians, and anything other than further negotiations through established channels is likely to complicate and hinder release efforts,” the official told Reuters.
Rodman did not specify who specifically authorized him to enter Russia, as he had to obtain a visa from the Russian government to enter the country.
In July, reports emerged that the Biden administration had offered the Kremlin to Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison in the United States, in exchange for Griner and corporate security chief Paul Whelan, who were imprisoned in Russia on charges. espionage. which he denies.
White House national security spokesman John Kirby told reporters that President Joe Biden personally signed the agreement to release Griner and Whelan. “The President and his team are prepared to take extraordinary measures to bring them home,” Kirby said.
“We think it’s important for the American people to know how difficult it was for President Biden to bring Britney Greener and Paul Whelan home,” he added.
The proposed swap comes just months after the US successfully swapped convicted Russian pilot Konstantin Yaroshenko for jailed Marine Corps veteran Trevor Reid.
Source: Breitbart
