The Trump administration recently announced that they planned to reinstitute some of the travel restrictions to communist Cuba that were dismantled by the previous administration. The liberal media has been up in arms, declaring Trump was rolling back Obama’s legacy. As though she was anticipating it to be her last trip there, NBC’s Andrea Mitchell frantically lobbied for travel to persist during her report on NBC Nightly News. She even parroted unsubstantiated claims made by the Cuba government to try and back herself up.
Right out of the gate, Mitchell began her report by whining about the President. “Havana tonight open for business. But now on edge, afraid President Trump is about to shut the door once again to most U.S. travelers,” she bemoaned.
Appearing to do her best Michael Moore impersonation, Mitchell allowed herself to be guided by members of the Cuba government as she sung their praises. “In a last-minute appeal, Cuban officials are touting they’ve made America safer from cyber attacks and drug traffickers,” she hyped. “Taking us to what looked like a normal house but is really a cyber command post.”
“[A member of the Cuban military] told us that in the past 18 months, Cuba has handed over intelligence on at least 17 cyber-crime cases tied to the U.S. Evidence like internet addresses used in a suspected identity theft,” she touted. Via a translator, the military official told her they shared information with the U.S. and that “Yes, the addresses we traced to the United States for both the suspected attackers and potential victims.”
“Cooperation they say is now at risk,” she emphatically declared with absolutely no mention of whether or not she attempted to corroborate their claims with U.S. intelligence officials. One of the Trump administration’s concerns was that since the military owns many of the hotels and other tourist spots, the money spent there would go to fund them. Mitchell blew off that fact dismissing it as just White House complaints.
She then misrepresented the popularity of trips to Cuba saying: “The rollback hits American travelers hard. Last year nearly 300,000 came here, a 74 percent jump over the year before.” Of course, there would be a jump in travel numbers. Travel to Cuba only began in November 2016 and before that time there were very few allowed to travel there. What she failed to mention was that airlines have actually cut the number of flights to Cuba because the demand was just not there.
“The problems, say Cubans we talked to, is the crackdown would hurt small business owners including many women. The very people President Trump says he wants to help,” she then asserted about Trump. The only thing Trump promised the people of Cuba was to help them fight “Communist oppression.” And beyond that, Mitchell seems to not understand what Trump’s motto of “America first” means.
And if that wasn’t enough, she tried to scare the viewers with the specter of Russia. “But if the music stops, Vladimir Putin is ready to step in. Russia recently forgiving billions in Cuba government debt and winning the bid to build Cuba’s new railroad,” she reported. “There’s even talk of reopening a Russian military base only 90 miles from the U.S.”
Mitchell has a long history of being a shill for communist Cuba. When Fidel Castro died in November 2016 she went to Cuba to essentially cover and mourn his death. “[Castro] was a voracious reader … And very, very aware of everything that was going on, very, very smart and very wedded to his revolutionary ideology,” she opined at the time. And in 2001 when she visited Castro, she touted his good health saying: “Approaching his 75th birthday this August, the world’s longest surviving leader also believes he is politically strong, partly as a result of that struggle over a seven-year-old boy.”
Transcript below:
NBC Nightly News
June 15, 2017
7:13:19 PM EasternLESTER HOLT: In Miami tomorrow, President Trump is expected to announce a major change in this country's relationship with Cuba. He'll make it a lot harder for Americans to travel or do business in Cuba fulfilling a campaign promise and rolling back some of the openings made by President Obama. The changes will have a big impact on airlines, hotels and potentially intelligence sharing. NBC's Andrea Mitchell has our report from Cuba.
[Cuts to video]
ANDREA MITCHELL: Havana tonight open for business. But now on edge, afraid President Trump is about to shut the door once again to most U.S. travelers. In a last-minute appeal, Cuban officials are touting they’ve made America safer from cyberattacks and drug traffickers.
Taking us to what looked like a normal house but is really a cyber command post. There we met exclusively with its military chief. She told us that in the past 18 months, Cuba has handed over intelligence on at least 17 cyber-crime cases tied to the U.S. Evidence like internet addresses used in a suspected identity theft.
So, in that case, you did provide those addresses to U.S. authorities?
YOHANKA RODRIGUEZ (via translator): Yes, the addresses we traced to the United States for both the suspected attackers and potential victims.
MITCHELL: Cooperation they say is now at risk. The rollback hits American travelers hard. Last year nearly 300,000 came here, a 74 percent jump over the year before. The White House complains that pumps dollars into hotels, airports and cruise ship terminals owned by the government, largely the military. The problems say Cubans we talked to is the crackdown would hurt small business owners including many women. The very people President Trump says he wants to help.
(…)
MITCHELL: The owner of this dance school is counting on teaching salsa to a steady stream of Americans. But if the music stops, Vladimir Putin is ready to step in. Russia recently forgiving billions in Cuba government debt and winning the bid to build Cuba’s new rail road. There’s even talk of reopening a Russian military base only 90 miles from the U.S. Andrea Mitchell, NBC News, Havana.
