Secretary of State Marco Rubio raised eyebrows over the weekend after posing for a photo with former Proud Boys leader Enrique Tarrio while attending the first Shield of the Americas summit in Miami, Florida.
Tarrio, a far-right activist whose 22-year sentence for his role in the January 6 attack was commuted by President Donald Trump last year, posted a photo of himself and Rubio on Saturday, calling the secretary of state “by far the best” choice for Trump’s cabinet.
“Proud of this Cuban!” Tarrio captioned the photo of him giving Rubio a thumbs-up, adding, in Spanish, “down with communism.”
But the photo attracted attention from former lawmakers, liberal groups and media commentators who scolded Rubio for posing with Tarrio, who was convicted of seditious conspiracy and obstruction of Congress, among other charges.
Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, a former Democratic congresswoman representing Florida, wrote, “I don’t understand how [Rubio] would happily pose with a man convicted of seditious conspiracy for his role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol.”
Mucarsel-Powell said it was “extremely dangerous” for Rubio to give “legitimacy” to Tarrio.
Occupy Democrats, a left-wing online group, also criticized Rubio for the picture, and claimed Tarrio was receiving “VIP access” despite the fact he “once stormed the Capitol to undermine democracy.
“So the ‘law and order’ MAGA administration welcomes a felon convicted of trying to overthrow the government into high-level events. Trumpworld looks more and more like a giant criminal syndicate, and yet they get away with it all,” Occupy Democrats wrote.
Luis Moreno, former Ambassador to Jamaica under the Obama administration, called the photo “Shameful, indefensible, revolting.”
It’s unclear if Tarrio was invited to the Shield of the Americas event by a member of the administration or if he attended on his own accord. It’s also unclear if Rubio knew who he was posing with for a picture.
The Independent has asked the State Department for comment.
Rubio joined Trump, outgoing Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and other administration members in attending the first Shield of the Americas summit to discuss the new initiative that is focused on using military capabilities to dismantle drug cartel organizations in Latin America.
One of the president’s goals in exerting U.S. intervention abroad appears to be cracking down on the trafficking of illicit drugs into the United States. Already, Trump has embarked on this goal by removing the former leader of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro. Maduro is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, and is facing a slew of drugs and weapon-related charges.
But another goal appears to be pressuring anti-capitalist regimes, such as the one in Cuba, into complying with Trump’s demands.
Tarrio’s “down with communism” statement appears to be referencing the recent developments in Cuba, which Rubio has reportedly been heavily involved with.
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