{"id":186101,"date":"2021-03-02T05:14:58","date_gmt":"2021-03-02T10:14:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=186101"},"modified":"2021-03-02T05:15:00","modified_gmt":"2021-03-02T10:15:00","slug":"becerra-declined-to-bring-humanitarian-aid-on-1996-cuba-trip","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/becerra-declined-to-bring-humanitarian-aid-on-1996-cuba-trip\/","title":{"rendered":"Becerra Declined to Bring Humanitarian Aid on 1996 Cuba Trip"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">20<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fbecerra-declined-to-bring-humanitarian-aid-on-1996-cuba-trip%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=186101&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><div><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/GettyImages-1133886407.jpg\" class=\"ff-og-image-inserted\" \/><\/div>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">President Joe Biden\u2019s pick to lead the Health and Human Services Department rejected a request from a top human-rights group to bring humanitarian aid to Cuba on his 1996 trip to meet with dictator Fidel Castro.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Before Xavier Becerra&#8217;s trip as part of a &#8220;fact-finding&#8221; congressional delegation to Cuba, the former California lawmaker was asked by Freedom House to bring an aid package including medicine and coloring books for the Cuban people. Becerra refused, according to a December 1996\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newspapers.com\/clip\/72414121\/marshfield-news-herald\/\">column<\/a> by journalist and author Robert Novak.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">&#8220;The materials they were asked to distribute contained no anti-Castro propaganda but publications as inoffensive as a Christian coloring book for children,&#8221; Novak wrote in reference to Becerra and a Democratic colleague set to join him on the trip. &#8220;The congressmen themselves did not respond to repeated requests by this column to explain their decision, and their aides said they had no answer.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div class=\"posts-content__category-widget md:hidden -ml-4 -mr-4 my-8 px-4 py-6 bg-gray-100\">\n<h4 class=\"mt-0 text-red-600 font-medium font-sans uppercase\">Recent Stories in Biden Administration<\/h4>\n<ul class=\"list-none p-0\">\n<li class><a class=\"text-black block mb-3 pb-3 border-b border-white\" href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/biden-administration\/father-of-former-marine-imprisoned-in-venezuela-pleads-with-biden-for-safe-return\/\"><strong>Father of Former Marine Imprisoned in Venezuela Pleads With Biden For Safe Return<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li class><a class=\"text-black block mb-3 pb-3 border-b border-white\" href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/biden-administration\/becerra-declined-to-bring-humanitarian-aid-on-1996-cuba-trip\/\"><strong>Becerra Declined to Bring Humanitarian Aid on 1996 Cuba Trip<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li class><a class=\"text-black block mb-3 pb-3 border-b border-white\" href=\"https:\/\/freebeacon.com\/national-security\/biden-state-department-nominee-is-a-defender-of-china-propaganda-program\/\"><strong>Biden State Department Nominee Is a Defender of China Propaganda Program<\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Becerra, now California&#8217;s attorney general, did not respond to a request for comment on Freedom House\u2019s requests to supply aid to the communist island. Freedom House said it could not provide any record of the specific ask for Becerra&#8217;s help but did confirm that the organization ran a program where it used people from outside the organization to bring supplies into\u00a0Cuba.<\/p>\n<p>Becerra&#8217;s trip to Cuba has long been a source of controversy.\u00a0The trip came on the eve of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus\u2019s elections, and Becerra was running to helm the caucus. While he won the vote, every Republican dues-paying member of the bipartisan caucus\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mailtrack.io\/trace\/link\/7a1138236c569307c70dfa31663c00750239a0f9?url=https%3A%2F%2Fworld.wng.org%2F1997%2F02%2Ffeasting_with_fidel&#038;userId=6348687&#038;signature=b959685cea8510f8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/mailtrack.io\/trace\/link\/7a1138236c569307c70dfa31663c00750239a0f9?url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fworld.wng.org%252F1997%252F02%252Ffeasting_with_fidel%26userId%3D6348687%26signature%3Db959685cea8510f8&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1614720822451000&#038;usg=AFQjCNFULVgVLSq9VrBrxWizaowcfYYW4g\">quit<\/a>\u00a0following his trip.\u00a0Then-congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was unsparing in her criticism, saying that while she rarely agrees with Democrats on\u00a0Cuba\u00a0policy, &#8220;there&#8217;s never been a chairman who went on a trip like this as he campaigned for my vote.&#8221; His refusal to call for free elections either during or after his trip to Cuba is still getting attention as he fights for confirmation in the U.S. Senate.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Becerra&#8217;s trip to Cuba included a four-hour dinner with Castro, according to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newspapers.com\/clip\/72413293\/the-miami-herald\/\">report<\/a> in the\u00a0<em>Miami Herald<\/em>. Though Becerra said the trip was professional &#8220;fact-finding,&#8221; he took steps to get special permission by the Treasury Department for his wife and children to join the delegation.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">Becerra\u2019s\u00a0Cuba\u00a0trip was\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mailtrack.io\/trace\/link\/4cd68b99c443e0c3ec14806c439fba76db17ee3c?url=https%3A%2F%2Fworld.wng.org%2F1997%2F02%2Ffeasting_with_fidel&#038;userId=6348687&#038;signature=df4bbab173ea252e\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/mailtrack.io\/trace\/link\/4cd68b99c443e0c3ec14806c439fba76db17ee3c?url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fworld.wng.org%252F1997%252F02%252Ffeasting_with_fidel%26userId%3D6348687%26signature%3Ddf4bbab173ea252e&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1614720822451000&#038;usg=AFQjCNHAI7AIZKeM9VTrp2nUWjADPVOJQw\">organized<\/a>\u00a0by Alicia Torres, a longtime pro-Castro activist. He was joined by his fellow California Democrat, Esteban Torres. The pro-Castro junket came as the United States was levying renewed sanctions on\u00a0Cuba; it left its mark on Rep. Torres, who\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mailtrack.io\/trace\/link\/6bab9d62f4b84760b601d56323c58c1866c4f6ca?url=https%3A%2F%2Fworld.wng.org%2F1997%2F02%2Ffeasting_with_fidel&#038;userId=6348687&#038;signature=f49ed4c0574f01ca\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/mailtrack.io\/trace\/link\/6bab9d62f4b84760b601d56323c58c1866c4f6ca?url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fworld.wng.org%252F1997%252F02%252Ffeasting_with_fidel%26userId%3D6348687%26signature%3Df49ed4c0574f01ca&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1614720822451000&#038;usg=AFQjCNEAYiDBvsixzzvy6kr8yUI76yUAeQ\">told<\/a>\u00a0the\u00a0<em>Herald<\/em>\u00a0upon return that he &#8220;just didn\u2019t see&#8221; any evidence of Castro\u2019s human-rights abuses while on the island.<\/p>\n<p>Becerra defended his trip as part of his duty as a congressman. &#8220;As an American citizen who has had the privilege now of being elected to Congress,&#8221; Becerra told NPR after the trip, &#8220;I should be as educated as I can be on a number of issues.&#8221;\u00a0A decade later, Becerra\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/news\/17253-becerra-butted-heads-on-cuba\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/news\/17253-becerra-butted-heads-on-cuba&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1614723260209000&#038;usg=AFQjCNHFmJ9PC4m7r-1M_XNdDS2IUzRlJA\">voted<\/a>\u00a0to end America&#8217;s embargo on Cuba.<\/p>\n<p>Even Becerra\u2019s fellow Democrats <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newspapers.com\/clip\/72415189\/el-paso-times\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/www.newspapers.com\/paper\/el-paso-times\/379\/&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1614723260209000&#038;usg=AFQjCNF1tSaUrWsLHHPjgKLwm70CIYvLGw\">questioned<\/a> his motivations at the time of his trip. Then-congressman Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat, said that Becerra &#8220;didn\u2019t give me an indication that he was going there to challenge the dictatorship,&#8221; adding that &#8220;it seemed to me his focus was more on finding ways to justify his view that U.S. policy is wrong.&#8221; Bringing American supplies to Cuba would have undercut Becerra\u2019s pro-Castro perspective.<\/p>\n<p dir=\"ltr\">During his years in Congress, Becerra remained a vocal\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/mailtrack.io\/trace\/link\/ca9f7d38f649ba46b92f727c982fd543a6080484?url=https%3A%2F%2Fthehill.com%2Fhomenews%2Fnews%2F17253-becerra-butted-heads-on-cuba&#038;userId=6348687&#038;signature=c0b14f599ed694ad\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-saferedirecturl=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/url?q=https:\/\/mailtrack.io\/trace\/link\/ca9f7d38f649ba46b92f727c982fd543a6080484?url%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fthehill.com%252Fhomenews%252Fnews%252F17253-becerra-butted-heads-on-cuba%26userId%3D6348687%26signature%3Dc0b14f599ed694ad&#038;source=gmail&#038;ust=1614720822451000&#038;usg=AFQjCNHIBiwv8k25QDUxkCLKAEihBeA0LQ\">advocate<\/a>\u00a0for close connections to the communist island.<\/p>\n<div class=\"my-8 hide-print\">\n<div id=\"div-gpt-ad-1526555381173-4\" class=\"mobile-250 desktop-90\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>President Joe Biden\u2019s pick to lead the Health and Human Services Department rejected a request from a top human-rights group to bring humanitarian aid to Cuba on his 1996 trip &#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2274525,"comment_status":"close","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/GettyImages-1133886407.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Becerra Declined to Bring Humanitarian Aid on 1996 Cuba Trip","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-186101","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/02\/GettyImages-1133886407.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"Becerra Declined to Bring Humanitarian Aid on 1996 Cuba Trip","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186101","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=186101"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/186101\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2274525"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=186101"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=186101"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=186101"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}