On Tuesday’s broadcast of MSNBC’s “MTP Daily,” DNC Chair Tom Perez discussed 2020 Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-VT) comments about Fidel Castro by stating that he can’t look at the Trujillo regime in the Dominican Republic that his family suffered under, “and see anything but an authoritarian leader,” and Cubans “see it the same way.”
Perez began by saying that he’ll let the Sanders campaign speak for itself. He added that “the Democratic Party has been very clear in its opposition to authoritarian leaders.”
Perez continued by discussing his family’s experience with the Trujillo dictatorship, and stated, “I can’t look at, and — nor can Dominicans look at the Trujillo regime, and see anything but an authoritarian leader, and an authoritarian era where human rights were not on the table, and Cubans and Venezuelans and people who fled Marcos from the Philippines and elsewhere see it the same way. And I think what’s really important from this is to make sure that all the candidates travel, whether it’s Florida to talk to Venezuelan Americans or Dominicans or Cubans, and listen to those stories. Because those stories are very similar to my own story. What is abundantly clear are two things though, the Democratic Party has been very clear in standing up to authoritarian regimes, and this president hasn’t.”
He later pointed to Democrats calling for Temporary Protected Status for people from Venezuela, which Republicans oppose.
Follow Ian Hanchett on Twitter @IanHanchett
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.