CIA Chief Brought Maduro Raid Operative to Cuba Meeting
CIA Director John Ratcliffe brought a paramilitary leader from the Maduro capture mission to his Havana meeting, introducing him as the operative who killed Cuban forces.
CIA DirectorJohn Ratcliffe brought a covert operative from the January mission to capture Nicolás Maduro to his rare meeting with Cuban officials in Havana last week, deliberately introducing the paramilitary leader as the one who killed their people in Venezuela, multiple sources told CBS News.
The Cuban government says 32 of its military and police officers died during the U.S. operation to extract the former Venezuelan leader earlier this year. Venezuela and Cuba were key allies before Maduro's arrest.
Ratcliffe made a point of identifying the paramilitary officer to the Cubans as the operative responsible for killing their forces, several sources said. The provocative introduction appeared designed to send a clear signal about American capabilities and resolve.
Pressure Campaign Intensifies
The meeting follows months of escalating pressure on the communist island. The Trump administration has threatened steep tariffs on any countries that export oil to Cuba, creating severe fuel shortages across the nation.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has demanded fundamental economic and political reforms, while President Trump has floated a "friendly takeover" of the island that has vexed U.S. administrations since 1959.
If I lived in Havana and I was in the government, I'd be concerned, at least a little bit.
Hours after the Maduro raid, Rubio pointed to Cuba's deep intelligence ties to Venezuela, telling reporters that Venezuela's "whole spy agency" was "full of Cubans."
A CIA official said Ratcliffe delivered a message that the U.S. is "prepared to seriously engage on economic and security issues, but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes."
Castro Family Meeting
Among the figures Ratcliffe met with was Raúl Rodriguez Castro, known as "Raulito," the grandson of former Cuban President Raúl Castro. Less than a week after the meeting, federal prosecutors unsealed an indictment against the 94-year-old elder Castro, charging him with murder and conspiracy for Cuba's fatal downing of two planes in 1996.
The encounter between an American spy chief and a Castro family member carries the weight of more than half a century of Cold War tensions. Cuban officials likely remember the history of covert American efforts to undermine their government, particularly the failed Bay of Pigs invasion and Operation Mongoose under the Kennedy administration.
Rubio told reporters Thursday that Cuba "not only has weapons that they've acquired from Russia and China over the years, but they also host Russia and Chinese intelligence" operations.
Watch for Cuba's response to the provocative diplomacy and whether the pressure campaign leads to the fundamental changes Washington demands or further entrenchment by the communist regime.
