California Senate candidate Barbara Lee once praised Fidel Castro as 'a smart man'
'I was very sad for the Cuban people,' Lee said upon learning of Castro’s death
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}California Democrat Rep. Barbara Lee has filed her paperwork to throw her hat in the race to replace outgoing blue Senator Dianne Feinstein, but her foreign policy record may come back to haunt her.
"We need to stop and pause and mourn his loss," Lee said in the wake of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro’s November 2016 death.
"I was very sad for the Cuban people," the California Democrat said upon learning of Castro’s death.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}REP. BARBARA LEE FILES TO ENTER RACE FOR FEINSTEIN’S SEAT
California Democrat Rep. Barbara Lee has filed her paperwork to throw her hat in the race to replace outgoing blue Senator Dianne Feinstein, but her foreign policy record may come back to haunt her. ((Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images))
The Cuba Archive project estimated that by November 2016, nearly 11,000 deaths had been caused by the Castro regime.
"He led a revolution in Cuba that led social improvements for his people," Lee told a California newspaper in November 2016. Lee described Castro as "a smart man" and a "historian."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}At the time of Castro’s death, Lee had traveled to Cuba 20 times and met with the dictator eight times, referring to him as "a smart man" and a "historian." (The Associated Press)
"He wanted normal relations with the United States but not at the expense of the accomplishments of the revolution," Lee said.
Lee, the only lawmaker who voted against invading Afghanistan following the September 11th attacks, also criticized then-President-elect Trump for tweeting out, "Fidel Castro is dead!"
The California congresswoman said the tweet showed that Trump was unfit for office and said it’s "not presidential at all."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The California Democrat will have to face down even her colleagues in the House, including Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., who is facing accusations of racism and a toxic work environment. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The MAKERS Conference)
"This not how you react as a world leader," the California Democrat said.
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Lee filed her paperwork on Friday but has not formally announced her campaign. Her entry is widely expected, however.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The California Democrat will have to face down even her colleagues in the House, including Rep. Katie Porter, D-Calif., who is facing accusations of racism and a toxic work environment.