It's been pretty apparent for a long time that Dennis Rodman doesn't "give a rat's ass" what anyone thinks—but he hammered the point home in a CNN interview he gave during his latest bridge-building (or -burning, the jury's still out) trip to North Korea.
Pressed by Chris Cuomo about Kenneth Bae—an American currently imprisoned in Pyongyang for plotting to overthrow the government by as-yet unspecified means—and asked whether he couldn't use his seemingly close relationship with leader Kim Jong Un to press the issue, the former NBA star immediately got on the defensive.
"The thing about politics," grunted the visibly disgruntled Rodman, "Kenneth Bae did one thing...if you understand what Kenneth Bay did, do you understand what he did?"
"What did he do? Tell me," Cuomo pressed.
"In this country...no, no, no, no, no...you tell me, why is he held captive?" Rodman countered.
Informed by Cuomo that the North Korean government hasn't released the charges, the two-time Celebrity Apprentice player tried to change the subject.
"I would love to speak on this, you know," he added, pointing behind him at the fellow basketball players who also made the trip. "You got 10 guys here—10 guys here—that have left their families, left their damn families, to help this country as a sports venture...all these guys here. Do anyone understand that?"
Cuomo insisted that they do appreciate the athletes' efforts and wish them well, but Rodman wasn't convinced. Cue the fireworks.
"I don't give a rat's ass what the hell you think! I'm sayin' to you, look at these guys here," he gestured to the group again as one of the men put an arm around Rodman's shoulder in an effort to calm him down. "Look at 'em!"
"Don't use these guys as a shield for you, Dennis," a perfectly calm Cuomo replied.
"I got it! Let me do this!" Rodman insisted to the poor guy who was trying to ameliorate the situation. "Really?! I'm gonna tell you one thing: People around the world...you're a guy behind the mic right now, we're the guys here doing one thing. We have to go back to America and take the abuse. Do you have to take the abuse?!"
Apparently he did.
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