Dennis Rodman says he’s going to Russia to help free Brittney Griner, but hostage negotiators think it’s ‘a terrible idea’

Dennis Rodman. Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP Dennis Rodman said he plans to travel to Russia in an attempt to free WNBA star Brittney Griner. A hostage negotiation expert told Insider “it’s a terrible idea for him to go” and explained why.

A senior Biden administration official told Insider Rodman could “complicate and hinder release efforts. ” Basketball great and five-time NBA champion Dennis Rodman said he’s planning a trip to Russia to help negotiate the release of Brittney Griner, an American WNBA superstar sentenced to nine years in prison for drug smuggling. At a restaurant in Washington, DC, Rodman told NBC News that he “got permission to go to Russia” and feels inclined to assist in the United States’ efforts to bring Griner home because “I know Putin too well.

“But experts in the space — from experienced hostage negotiators to senior officials within President Biden’s administration — have warned that Rodman’s proposal is “a terrible idea. “Brittney Griner stands in a defendant’s cage during her trial in Russia. Alexander Zemlianichenko, Pool/AP Photo”Dennis has no business being in Russia, just flat-out,” Bring Our Families Home Campaign spokesman Jonathan Franks — who helped negotiate for the freedom of another wrongfully detained American Trevor Reed — told Insider.

“I don’t think a questionably sober [person] is going to be able to negotiate the release of Brittney Griner and, more importantly, there’s a plan. “She’s got the best in government and the best of the private sector in [former New Mexico] Governor [Bill] Richardson [working to bring her home],” he added. “They’re actually doing a decent job working to get [Griner] home at the moment.

They’ve done unprecedented stuff in furtherance of that goal. . .

. I don’t think at this point with a public offer on the table — not that I would’ve thought this was a good idea under any circumstances — but with a public offer on the table, absolutely not, he should not be going. “Griner was first arrested in February, when officials at a Moscow airport found vape cartridges containing cannabis oil in her luggage.

She has since been convicted of the large-scale transportation of drugs with criminal intent, but the US government’s “wrongfully detained” classification all but confirmed that the eight-time WNBA All-Star is a political prisoner in the eyes of senior American officials. Griner is escorted from a court room after a hearing just outside Moscow. AP Photo/Alexander ZemlianichenkoThe Biden administration reportedly proposed a prisoner swap with Russia in June, offering to release convicted Russian arms dealer Viktor Bout in exchange for the return of both Griner and former US Marine Paul Whelan.

Since then, the global superpowers have negotiated behind-the-scenes. Rodman’s antics could put any progress they’ve made in jeopardy, a senior Biden administration official told Insider. “It is public information that the administration has made a significant offer to the Russian[s],” the official said.

“Anything other than negotiating further through the established channel is likely to complicate and hinder release efforts. “Rodman. Tim Nwachukwu/Getty ImagesA trip to Russia could also put Rodman and his traveling party in personal danger.

The official noted that the US State Department still has a “Level 4 – Do not travel” advisory in place for Russia “due to a number of factors, including the unprovoked and unjustified invasion of Ukraine by Russian military forces, the potential for harassment against US citizens by Russian government security officials, [and] the singling out of US citizens in Russia by Russian government security officials. “Rodman has a noted history of fraternizing with foreign despots — including North Korea’s Kim Jong-un — which may explain why he feels confident in his ability to broker a deal with Putin. But Franks warns that negotiating with the Russian president would pose a markedly more difficult challenge than socializing with North Korea’s supreme leader.

“It’s very different than when he went to DPRK,” Franks said. “He had as good a shot [of breaking through] as anyone would in DPRK. Kim is a basketball fanatic and, at the time, I think that trip had intelligence value.

This one does not. “Rodman (right) and North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un (center) attend a basketball game in Pyongyang. REUTERS/KCNAFranks suggested that the Russian president could “use this as a PR stunt for himself and say, ‘Look at the famous American that’s come to grovel before me!'”Who knows what Putin will do with him?” Franks said.

“Why not [take him]? If he’s willing to take Brittney Griner, why wouldn’t he be willing to take Dennis?”The senior Biden administration official warns that all Americans are at risk of “detention [or] the arbitrary enforcement of local law” in Russia. And if the retired Chicago Bulls forward winds up in Russian custody, the US Embassy will have “limited ability to assist” him. President Joe Biden speaks in the East Room of the White House.

AP Photo/Susan Walsh, File”Celebrities trying to negotiate hostage situations in hostile foreign countries just makes me a little nervous — more than a little nervous,” Franks said. “If they get Dennis and his traveling party, we’re gonna have to give up more odious Russians [in a prisoner exchange] in order to get them back. “I wish that people would just stop going to Russia,” he added.

Read the original article on Insider.