Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) on Monday slammed The New York Times, accusing it of publishing the “Castro regime’s propaganda” on him in a recent story about how Cubans view the 2016 contender.
It’s the latest salvo in Rubio’s ongoing feud with the Times, which he has accused of biased coverage.
Rubio’s campaign fundraised last month off a pair of unflattering reports from the newspaper scrutinizing his personal finances and the driving records of him and his wife, Jeanette.
{mosads}One story showed Rubio received four traffic tickets and his wife received 13 since 1997. Another story days later about his finances mentioned him spending $80,000 on a fishing boat.
Monday’s story reported from Cuba highlights critical opinions of Rubio in that country. It also added that residents view 2016 GOP rival, former Gov. Jeb Bush (Fla.) through the policies of his father and brother, and that Cuban-American Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) is largely an unknown figure in the country.
“I’m glad they see us as a threat,” Rubio said in an interview with the Times for the story, referring to his critics in Cuba. “They should.”
Rubio is a staunch opponent of President Obama’s push to normalize relations with Cuba, arguing the government of Raúl Castro hasn’t made concessions on human rights or democracy.
Obama last week announced plans to reopen embassies between the two countries.