Rubio Invites Cubans to Partner With CIA, Drawing Bipartisan Reaction
Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly urged Cubans to work with the CIA for change in Cuba, prompting sharp criticism from the left and praise from some Trump allies.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio publicly invited Cubans to work with the CIA on Friday, a message that drew immediate reactions across the political spectrum. Writing on X, Rubio addressed those who want to bring about change in Cuba, pointing to what he described as failed promises, corruption, and the privileged lives of a few. He urged them to seize the opportunity to create the change they desire through a discreet partnership with the CIA.
Within hours, the CIA's official account posted the same message in Spanish. The post included a video that ended with the words « Contacte a la CIA » (« Contact the CIA »). Many observers were struck that such an invitation had been made in public at all, since intelligence outreach of this kind has historically been handled out of view. Neither the State Department nor the CIA specified what kind of partnership they were offering.
Criticism came quickly from commentators on the left. Ryan Grim, a reporter at Drop Site News and co-host of « Breaking Points », said Rubio was « just putting this out on main. » Ben Rhodes, who served as deputy national security adviser to President Barack Obama, wrote that « 'Please help us coup' is a logical endpoint to Rubio's worldview. » Max Blumenthal, editor of The Grayzone, argued that the post exposed the State Department as cover for what he called malign CIA destabilization operations aimed at installing puppet governments. Journalist Ben Norton, editor of Geopolitical Economy Report, called Rubio a « warmonger » and said the United States « used to organize its many coups in secret. Now it puts job postings for treasonous CIA coup-plotters on Twitter. » Australian writer Caitlin Johnstone predicted that anyone who later blamed the CIA for unrest in Cuba would still be dismissed as a conspiracy theorist, since the agency had said its intentions « right out in the open. »
Several allies of President Donald Trump responded favorably. Monica Crowley, a longtime Trump ally and former administration official, wrote « Cuba Libre! » Conservative national security commentator David Reaboi quoted the line about creating change through a discreet partnership with the CIA and added that he wanted the t-shirt. Fox News contributor Katie Pavlich replied with a pair of eyes emojis. Jacob Creech, a pro-Trump influencer who posts as « Clandestine », linked the post to a recent comment by Trump about Cuba. « Yup, that comment from Trump about Cuba was not an accident, » Creech wrote, adding that the United States would be « cleansing Cuba, which has been a Deep State/CIA hotspot for decades. » Those remarks reflect a view among some supporters that the administration's Cuba posture is deliberate rather than improvised.
The episode highlights the sensitivity of U.S. policy toward Cuba, where Washington has long been at odds with the island's government. Because the State Department and CIA did not clarify the nature of the offered partnership, questions about its scope, safeguards, and intended outcomes remain unanswered in the public record. Both agencies have not publicly detailed how Cubans who respond to the call would be approached or protected.
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