More Talk About Talks — and More Anonymous Sources

Axios reported on Wednesday that Secretary of State Marco Rubio has been holding “secret talks” with Raúl Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, the grandson of former Cuban President Raúl Castro, known in Cuba as El Cangrejo (“The Crab”).

Cuba’s Ambassador to the UN Ernesto Soberón Guzmán on Thursday dismissed the Axios report as “speculation.”

The report, which cites three anonymous sources, is the latest Trump administration “leak” that seems intended to hype the administration’s narrative that high-level negotiations between the two governments are underway.

Earlier this month, U.S.-government-financed media circulated rumors that Alejandro Castro, the son of Raúl Castro, was representing Cuba in negotiations with the U.S. in Mexico.

Trump has repeatedly said his administration is holding high-level talks with the Cuban government. But a senior Trump administration source told Drop Site News on February 9 that no such talks are underway.