Rep. Bass renounces previous praise for Cuban leader Fidel Castro
FILE – In this June 25, 2020, file photo Rep. Karen Bass, D-Calif., speaks during a news conference on the House East Front Steps on Capitol Hill in Washington ahead of the House vote on the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act of 2020. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)
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UPDATED 4:35 PM PT — Sunday, August 2, 2020
A potential running mate for presumptive Democrat nominee Joe Biden has denied she’s a sympathizer of the late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) walked back her past praise during a recent interview. She claimed she did not realize the impact she would have by referring to Castro as commander in chief of Florida’s Cuban exile community.
Bass has said she was trying to express her condolences to the people of Cuba after his death in 2016, not to Cubans around the world. The Democrat, who has also called Castro’s death “a great loss to the Cuban people,” additionally addressed a past trip to the nation in 1970.
According to the lawmaker, the trip helped her see the differences in freedom between the two countries.
“There were over 100 young people there, and all of us worked on different issues. We had the ability to come home and protest against our own government, but the Cuban people most certainly cannot do that. They couldn’t do it then and they can’t do it now.” – Karen Bass, U.S. Representative
She went on to say her perspective has changed over time. She stated she now understands that the Castro regime, which made Cuba a communist nation, was brutal to its people.
Moreover, she reiterated her apology last week and emphasized she had learned her lesson. Bass then called for change, starting with better relations with the country of Cuba.
WATCH: Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) says "lesson learned" about how she described the Castro regime. #IfItsSunday #MTP
Bass: I 'don’t consider myself a Castro sympathizer' pic.twitter.com/Lnpg5WfgRs
— Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) August 2, 2020
This came amid mounting speculation over Joe Biden’s potential running mate for the 2020 election. The former vice president confirmed he will announce his running mate later this week.
Bass has emerged as a top candidate.