Jesse Jackson: Were it Not for Rodman, We Wouldn’t Be Discussing North Korea

Jesse Jackson Defends Rodman on CNN: He’s Why We’re ‘Discussing North Korea Today’ (Mediaite)

Dennis Rodman has not found many defenders this week since he traveled to North Korea to visit his “friend” Kim Jong-un on the occasion of his birthday. So it was surprising when Jesse Jackson shared a now-deleted congratulatory message for Rodman on Twitter, commending him on his “diplomacy efforts.”

Now, even after Rodman exploded in anger during a bizarre interview from Pyongyang earlier in the week, Jackson is still defending the former NBA player. In an interview with Don Lemon on CNN Wednesday evening, Jackson compared Rodman’s trips to previous instances of sports diplomacy, such as the U.S. ping pong team visiting China and the Harlem Globetrotters visiting Russia. He also said that he sent a letter to Kim Jong-un urging the release of imprisoned American Kenneth Bae, a subject that was a clear point of contention in Rodman’s CNN interview.