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The Republican senator from Florida, Rick Scott, demanded on Thursday that CNN be ashamed for having given a platform to Sandro Castro, the grandson of the late dictator Fidel Castro, calling the network's decision "completely unacceptable" and accusing it of attempting to soften the image of the Cuban regime to young audiences.
The controversy arose after the interview that CNN correspondent in Havana, Patrick Oppmann, conducted on March 30 with Sandro Castro in his apartment located in the exclusive Havana neighborhood of Kohly, a residential area for military personnel and Cuban intelligence agents.
CNN should be ashamed of giving a platform to Fidel Castro's cowardly grandson, a regime that has murdered, oppressed, and silenced the brave Cuban people for decades. This is completely unacceptable," stated Senator Scott, who previously spoke with him after his release in January 2025 with Cuban activist José Daniel Ferrer.
The interview sparked strong outrage among Cubans inside and outside the island, who criticized the American network for providing a platform without challenging the dictator's grandson. Critics noted that correspondent Oppmann did not question any of these premises during the conversation, allowing Sandro Castro to project a favorable image without any journalistic counterbalance.
During the interview, Sandro Castro described his grandfather as a person who had his principles, but also respected other people, a characterization that many Cubans outright rejected given the repressive history of the regime. Furthermore, the dictator's grandson asserted that I am a proud citizen of the people, 100% Cuban, denying having any privileges derived from his last name.
According to previous information, Sandro Castro also stated to CNN that on one occasion he was released with a simple warning after being summoned by the Cuban state security authorities, a story that many considered implausible given his family connection to the ruling elite.
Senator Scott emphasized that no media campaign will ever erase the truth about the crimes of the Castro regime, and he urged the network to be held accountable for what he described as an exercise in propaganda disguised as journalism.
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