Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will soon make a decision, if he hasn’t already, on a proposal from his department to designate Cuba as a state sponsor of terrorism, The New York Times reports.
If Pompeo does approve the plan, then Cuba would join Iran, North Korea, and Syria as the only countries on the United States’ list of states that sponsor terrorism, which would automatically impose sanctions on the country. Cuba was previously added to the list in 1982 by President Ronald Reagan, where it remained up until 2015, when President Barack Obama normalized relations with the country.
“It’s another stunt by this president with less than 23 days to go,” said Rep. Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y., the new chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
“He’s trying to put handcuffs on the incoming administration,” Meeks added.
A spokesperson for the State Department told the Times that they do not discuss “deliberations or potential deliberations” when it comes to terrorism designations, and the White House declined to comment.
The Times notes that Pompeo does not have long to decide. President-elect Joe Biden, who is set to take office in about three weeks, has already vowed to “promptly reverse the failed Trump policies that have inflicted harm on the Cuban people and done nothing to advance democracy and human rights.”
Theodore Bunker ✉
Theodore Bunker, a Newsmax writer, has more than a decade covering news, media, and politics.
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