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Subscribe to RSSFreshman GOP Sen. Marco Rubio -- a rising star in the Republican Party -- has often invoked the story about his parents fleeing the Castro regime in Cuba.
But an investigative piece in the Washington Post notes that Rubio's parents came to the United States (and gained residency here) more than 2 1/2 years before Castro came to power in Cuba.
[A] review of documents - including naturalization papers and other official records - reveals that Rubio's dramatic account of his family saga embellishes the facts. The documents show that Rubio's parents came to the United States and were admitted for permanent residence more than 2½ years before Castro's forces overthrew the Cuban government and took power on New Year's Day 1959.
The Post adds:
Rubio’s office on Thursday confirmed that his parents arrived in the United States in 1956 but noted that “while they were prepared to live here permanently, they always held out the hope and the option of returning to Cuba if things improved.” They returned to Cuba several times after Castro came to power to “assess the situation with the hope of eventually moving back,” the office said in a statement.
Here are two TV ads (here and here) that Rubio aired during his 2010 Senate run highlighting that he was the son of exiles.
*** UPDATE *** Rubio has released this statement:
“To suggest my family’s story is embellished for political gain is outrageous. The dates I have given regarding my family’s history have always been based on my parents’ recollections of events that occurred over 55 years ago and which were relayed to me by them more than two decades after they happened. I was not made aware of the exact dates until very recently.
“What’s important is that the essential facts of my family’s story are completely accurate. My parents are from Cuba. After arriving in the United States, they had always hoped to one day return to Cuba if things improved and traveled there several times. In 1961, my mother and older siblings did in fact return to Cuba while my father stayed behind wrapping up the family’s matters in the U.S. After just a few weeks living there, she fully realized the true nature of the direction Castro was taking Cuba and returned to the United States one month later, never to return.
“They were exiled from the home country they tried to return to because they did not want to live under communism. That is an undisputed fact and to suggest otherwise is outrageous.”
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Again, how can you tell a Republican is lying, their mouth is moving or their spinmasters make a press release.
GOP not telling the truth. Shocking. Go OWS. Time for these crooks / liars to go.
Any idea of what was going in Cuba for the years up-to his final overthrow of the goverment? Anyone?
People were bailing out Cuba long before he finalized his overthrow. Didn't need to wait around until D-Day.
Stronghorse: Not one person here in this blog has any idea what was going on in the pre Castro years....They say that REPS talk out the side of their necks well..all those talking about this issue are doing the same thing they so much complain about...
Come on brief us on your background and why we should listen to you. Were you at the Bay of Pigs? Where you tight with Batista. Where were you when Hymen Roth almost caught a bullet ? Please entertain us with your astute poli sci knowledge and your educational background. I suspect that you actually know very little of the specifics. Only what you've read in a John Birch publication. ( for the record- I personally feel that the John Birch Society should be banished from our shores as a terrorist group.)
Donnygull: Nothing I tell you is going to change your mind...I was not at Bay of Pigs and I do not know who the Heck Hymen Roth or the John Birch publications...What I know is from family lore so it must also be a lie!
I heard this scumbag Repuk give credit to the damn French and British for killing Kadaghfi, when it was a US drone this fired the missle on his attempted escape???
This GOP Repugs refuse to give the president any credit on anything.... and it is sickening..
LMAO.......the only lie here is from NBC trying to make something out of nothing. More desperation from the liberal media.........
So you but into everything Rubio has stated? No problem at all?
No problem at all......remember the Cuban revolution(53-59) was in full swing when his parents left. they left a war torn nation in 56. Did you read the last 2 paragraphs?
good luck with that
Another big, shocking story brought to us by NBC's Mark Murray!
I can't imagine a career spent digging through gutters and garbage, just to find a few questionable tidbits on Republican foes.
Way to go Mark, I see a Pulitzer in your future!
Not so funny when the shoe is on the other foot is it?
Chris: What are you referring to?
Dave, Murray is Sort of like Limbaugh, Hannity and their ilk. The right regularly digs through news so they can cherry pick any item that denigrates Democrats. Remember, two can play the game.
This story makes it sound as if it was unknown prior to 1959 what the Castro intentions were....
As early as 1953, 135 "guerrillas" attacked (on July 26) a Fort in the middle of the Island...leading the attack were (The Castro brothers). Since it failed they re-gathered in Mexico and elsewhere to plan the takeover which by then included the Blood Thirsty Coward Revolutionary "Che Guevara"....
Following that attack in 1953 and other activities people began to leave the Island.......
This story is a joke..........
If you say you don't agree with the Senator on this or that policy..fine..but this is nothing more than "muckraking"
Sen. Rubio's family narrative was carefully crafted to give him an entree to the Cuban exile community in South Florida. In fact, he and his family are not a part of that community. The Rubio family did not flee a leftist dictator (Castro) for politcal reasons, as he has often stated. His family, like many current Central American immigrants both legal and illegal, fled a right-wing dictator (Battista) for economic reasons. As a result, Rubio is a pre-Castro Cuban expatriot. Pre-Castro Cuban expats are held in low regard by the Cuban exile community of South Florida. Moreover, the WaPo article also indicated that Rubio's parents did not apply for citizenship for some 15 years after their arrival in the U.S. That makes Sen. Rubio an "anchor baby."
Publius13: What you stated is completely false........
Publius: How did you arrive at the conclusion that:
"Pre-Castro Cuban expats are held in low regard by the Cuban exile community of South Florida"
Can you cite the reference where you got that from or is it from "tradition and lore"?
What a shock, a Republican embellishing his past. Pretty boy Rubio is just another poser, pretending to be a statesman. He's been mentioned as a prospective VP candidate. Good luck with that.
Come on R Bell, isn't that why Murray wrote this story?
Instead lets talk about your front runners brilliant 9-9-9 plan and how great it is for the people that your party keeps telling us, we want.
I don't agree with the 9-9-9 plan..........
What sane non-wealthy person would agree with Cain's ridiculous plan. The majority of people would pay more in taxes, while the uber rich will see significant reductions. There's not even a pretense of fairness in this goofy idea.
R-Bell: I agree with you and there are plenty of conservatives that don't like the plan either....Sounds catchy but when you look under the hood it's not good..In fact I think I heard this morning he started to make "exceptions" depending on situations........
The same thing is going to happen to the Rick Perry Flat Tax proposal next Tuesday......
These things are complicated and while catchy slogans are attractive for their simplicity, the reality is that nothing about this issue is simple
Profesr, I get the impression we're on opposite sides of the political spectrum, but we can agree on tax reform. The system is archaic and needs a complete overhaul. Some form of flat tax with zero deductions might work. It could be made fair and simple. This should be reform both sides, conservative and liberal, can aspire to.
This is nothing more than another ploy like "Univisions story about Rubio's brother in law" to smear the Senator
This is another one of those desperate tactics because they fear a rising star!
It was Rubio that did the embellishing and the Washington post that exposed Rubio's lies, not some dem operative looking for dirty laundry. To think for a single minute that Rubio was not playing for the sympathy card is ludicrous as any family leaving their nation of birth under these supposed oppressive circumstances would remember the date they had to pack their bags. To claim otherwise stretches credulity indeed ! Dems have been guilty of the same thing and I make no excuses for those liars either. This rising star is more like a meteor that burns out when coming down to earth. What was it Joe Wilson said ? ...... YOU LIE !
Craig...We will see how this pans out.......As far as comparing him to Wilson....There's no comparison.....Wilson was out of line on that one......
Of course he was lying. That is all repubs do today is lie and misinform people. What makes Rubio even a less of a surprise is that he is a TP advocate and we know how honest they have been. What a hoot!!!!
Look up the 1953-59 revolution led by Fidel Castro on Wikipedia. That was a 6 year period. they could still have been fleeing the revolution. Do you Kool-Aid Swillers ever look anything up?
Yeah, if you disregard the fact that Fidel wasn't even in Cuba at the time....He was in Mexico !
@ Craig Vale: And you disregard the fact that he returned to Cuba in 56.
Republicans are addicted to lying like junkies are addicted to crack
Republican values.
Yet another liar who would use an imagined family history to garner sympathy from the public. This behavior is not exclusive to the rethugs either as Dems are known to pad their bios as well. They should be called out for this crap and in Rubio's case he needs to answer to his own Cuban exile community to whom he lied to. This stuff about maybe mixing up the years is BS. as any family would know the why's and wherefores for someone leaving their country of birth. I hope he is exposed for the lying POS he truly is !
This typical BS is just like Ryan saying he worked three jobs in college....pure BS
Both sides do it. Wasn't the Dem governor of Connecticut exposed for lying about his Vietnam era service too ? They are all lying pigs and should be exposed to the public. Rubio will have to answer to his fellow " Exiles" for his lie and for those who truly experienced having to escape, Rubio's narrative won't play well. Mentiroso !! A pretty face is about all the boy has to offer this nation and little else unless you want a storyteller to represent you! Disgraceful !
Translated: "I was ignorant (of my family history)." Well then Mr. Rubio, perhaps you should verify that you know truth before you speak. What else are you ignorant of?
No, Mr. Rubio. You are a politician. You did not speak truth about a subject you should certainly be expected to know. Calculating that you did this for political gain is quite reasonable. You protest too much.
Thanks for the character reference. It is added to your permanent record.
I'm going to need to see his birth certificate - the long form.
How do we know for sure that he is Cuban?
This revelation will have no effect on the Tea Baggers. In their minds the end justifies the means. Lying and cheating is ok. Most likely they will insist the liberals are making this up blame Obama.
Imagine that. A politician -- especially of the Republican ilk -- embellishing his 'story.'
I wrote a piece entitled Cuba: A Test of Leadership for U.S. Senator, Marco Rubio. You can check it out @
How about when Hillary told her Bosnia lie about landing under sniper fire?
I guess BS know no party affiliation.
And that little "closing down Guantanamo" line of Obama's too.
All politicians are full of crap! Both parties.
Tommy Toolbag.....
We (democrats) called her on that. Have you (republicans) done likewise with Rubio?
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23789011/ns/politics-decision_08/t/clinton-misspoke-over-bosnia-sniper-claims/#.TqGkaHKxyMk
So what do you want him to say...that his parents came before 1959 and thus they are not "Exiles"?
I'm not a Republican, I'm an Independent.
I don't see him talking about immigrants, diversity, helping the poor, and equality! I didn't embellish, I just didn't care enough about why/when my parents came to the US, to check out the facts. I'm just an ordinary Republican taking money from special interests (OK the Democrats do it also), in the land of the Home and the Paid for.
When you start to throw rocks at someone else, you have be very careful what you said or do against that person (s), because some times it will come back and bite you in the ass. Congressman Rubio need to keep a low profile because he still wet behind the ears and have no clue what is going on in Washington DC. Now that we knows that he lies,what else is hidden in his past????