Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich asserted yesterday that “under no circumstance” should President Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, or Secretary of State John F. Kerry attend Fidel Castro’s funeral and admonished anyone who was honoring the death of former Cuban president.
“Under no circumstance should President Obama or VP Biden or Secstate Kerry go to Cuba for Castro’s funeral,” Gingrich, who serves as an adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, wrote in a Twitter post, adding, “He was a tyrant.”
In an earlier tweet, Gingrich labeled Castro a “relentless dictator who imprisoned thousands (and) killed and tortured many Cubans” and went on to say, “the outpouring of praise for Fidel Castro is tragic … Build a list of those praising Castro and you will have a list of leftists who reject reality for an ideological fantasy.”
Though he didn’t indicate whether he’d be traveling to the Caribbean nation for Castro’s funeral, Kerry did release a statement yesterday.
“We extend our condolences to the Cuban people today as they mourn the passing of Fidel Castro,” Kerry wrote. “Over more than half a century, he played an outsized role in their lives, and he influenced the direction of regional, even global affairs.”
Gingrich wasn’t the only GOP member who blasted those who had kind words for the late dictator.
Florida U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio called a statement released yesterday by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “shameful” and “embarrassing.”
“It is with deep sorrow that I learned today of the death of Cuba’s longest serving President,” Trudeau’s statement read. “Fidel Castro was a larger than life leader who served his people for almost half a century … While a controversial figure, both Mr. Castro’s supporters and detractors recognized his tremendous dedication and love for the Cuban people who had a deep and lasting affection for ‘el Comandante.’ ”
Rubio also took aim at President Obama for releasing a statement that offered condolences to Castro’s family and offered a “hand of friendship” to the Cuban people.
“President Obama issued a pathetic statement on death of dictator #FidelCastro,” Rubio’s tweet read, “with no mention of thousands he killed & imprisoned.”
Source: Boston Herald
