Rubio Urges Cubans to Seek Change via CIA Partnership
Guardian reports Secretary of State Rubio told Cubans seeking change 'now is the time,' urging a 'discrete partnership with the CIA' after Trump floated warship action.
The story in focus
The Guardian reports Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Cubans seeking political change to act, saying now is the time and citing a "discrete partnership with the CIA." The remarks followed President Trump telling a Florida rally that US warships returning from Iran could stop off Cuba. Havana mocked the comments.
- Rubio posted that "now is the time" for Cubans seeking positive change, per The Guardian
- He urged change through a "discrete [sic] partnership with the CIA," the report said
- Trump told a South Florida rally warships could stop about 50 yards off Cuba's coast
- Cuban deputy foreign minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio mocked the remarks as desperation
What Rubio said
The Guardian reported that Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed a social media post to those seeking positive change in Cuba, saying now is the time to act. In the post, he cited frustration with failed promises and corruption and urged a, quoting the report's spelling, "discrete partnership with the CIA." The Guardian noted Rubio appeared to have used "discrete," meaning separate, rather than "discreet." No operational details were given.
Trump's warship remark
The comments came moments after President Donald Trump, campaigning in South Florida days before midterm elections, responded to a shouted question about Cuba. The Guardian reported Trump said ships returning from the Iran war would pass Cuba and one would stop about 50 yards off the coast, after which Rubio would "finish up the deal." Trump has floated the idea before, the report said, and the Iran war he has forecast has not yet happened. Havana mocked the remarks; deputy foreign minister Carlos Fernandez de Cossio wrote that Washington was resorting to public CIA recruitment.
What did Rubio urge Cubans to do, according to The Guardian?
He urged Cubans seeking political change to act now and pursue what he called a "discrete partnership with the CIA," the report said, after Trump suggested warships could stop off Cuba's coast.
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