Former Democratic New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg criticized Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders over the congressman’s praise of late Cuban dictator Fidel Castro.
“Fidel Castro left a dark legacy of forced labor camps, religious repression, widespread poverty, firing squads, and the murder of thousands of his own people,” Bloomberg said Monday. (RELATED: Bernie On Bloomberg: Trump Would ‘Chew Him Up And Spit Him Out’)
Fidel Castro left a dark legacy of forced labor camps, religious repression, widespread poverty, firing squads, and the murder of thousands of his own people.
But sure, Bernie, let’s talk about his literacy program. pic.twitter.com/3Xqu435uoA
— Mike Bloomberg (@MikeBloomberg) February 24, 2020
The democratic socialist senator and Democratic presidential front–runner drew bipartisan ire after praising Castro’s “massive literacy program” during a Sunday evening interview on CBS’s “60 Minutes.”
“We’re very opposed to the authoritarian nature of Cuba, but, you know, it’s unfair to simply say everything is bad,” Sanders said. “You know? When Fidel Castro came into office, you know what he did? He had a massive literacy program. Is that a bad thing? Even though Fidel Castro did it?”
This was not the first time Sanders has expressed admiration for the late Cuban dictator, saying in the 1980s that he was “very excited when Fidel Castro made the revolution in Cuba.”
Sanders was criticized for his comments by several Florida Democrats, including Rep. Donna Shalala, who blasted the senator for praising a “murderous tyrant.”
“I’m hoping that in the future, Sen. Sanders will take time to speak to some of my constituents before he decides to sing the praises of a murderous tyrant like Fidel Castro,” Shalala said.