AP Reporter Grills State Department Spokesperson Over Cuba Sanctions: You’re Presenting This as ‘Some Grand New Initiative’

Associated Press reporter Matt Lee sparred with State Department spokesperson Ned Price on Thursday over the sanctions the Biden administration enacted on Cuba on Thursday.

The sanctions target Cuban Defense Minister Alvaro Lopez Miera and the Communist nation’s Interior Ministry Special Brigade amid the latest wave of protests on the island country.

“The special brigade of the Interior Ministry was already covered by Global Magnitsky sanctions, so you’ve added another designation on top of … the impact of this seems … to be negligible since they were already covered … So I don’t quite understand how it is that you’re presenting this as some grand, new initiative to support the Cuban people…they were already covered,” said Lee during the press briefing at the State Department on Thursday.

Reporter roasts the State Dept spokesman on “new” sanctions:

“The special brigade of the Interior Ministry was already covered by [sanctions]…you’re presenting this as some grand, new initiative to support the Cuban people…they were already covered”pic.twitter.com/Netb6ig32s

— Kyle Martinsen (@KyleMartinsen_) July 23, 2021

Those sanctions are under the Global Magnitsky Act, which allows the United States to sanction alleged human rights violators. The Interior Ministry Special Brigade was already sanctioned under that law by the Trump administration in January before President Joe Biden took office.

“I would make a couple points. Number one, the Global Magnitsky sanctions regime is an important tool we have that is applicable,” Price responded before Lee interjected, “It is. But they were already under it.”

Price asked if Miera was sanctioned under the Global Magnitsky Act to which Lee replied, “No, I’m talking about the – that’s one person, okay, who most likely doesn’t have any assets or any dealings with American citizens.”

“Just – just so – just so no…” said Price before Lee interrupted: “So, let’s talk about what the real impact would be, would be if you designated the whole entity of the – a part of the interior ministry, like with the Iran sanctions, okay? That would have a much bigger impact, whatever that impact would be. But the fact of the matter is that they were already covered by Global Magnitsky sanctions. The exact same sanction, the exact same executive order was used to do this, and it doesn’t have any – it doesn’t do anything new.”

Watch the exchange above.