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DOJ Indicts Former Cuban President Raul Castro; Senate GOP Fumes After Trump Backs Paxton Over Cornyn In Texas. Aired 1:1:30p ET

Aired May 20, 2026 - 13:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

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[13:00:48]

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This is CNN Breaking News.

BORIS SANCHEZ, CNN ANCHOR: Breaking news to CNN, a moment decades in the making. The Department of Justice unsealing its indictment of former Cuban President Raul Castro. The U.S. accusing Castro of conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals, destruction of an aircraft and murder. A press conference in Miami is set to begin at any moment at the Freedom Tower where we will learn about those criminal charges. The case dates back to 1996 after Cuba shot down civilian planes where four people were killed, including three American citizens.

CNN Senior Justice Correspondent Evan Perez joins us now.

Evan, walk us through what you know about DOJ's case.

EVAN PEREZ, CNN SENIOR JUSTICE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Boris, at this moment the -- we're still reading through these charges, but the charges, of course, the biggest name that jumps out is the name of Raul Castro. He is charged with murder. He's charged with conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals and destruction of aircraft. At the time of the shootdown in 20 -- in 1996, Raul Castro was the defense minister of Cuba. He later became president and of course, is still very much believed to be involved in helping to run the government of Cuba at the moment.

But the other members of -- that are -- that are on this indictment right now are appear to be members of the Cuban military, including one of the pilots who's alleged to have fired the shot, one of the MiG pilots who is alleged to have shot down those two planes. The Justice Department has been pursuing this for about 30 years, Boris. There were various steps to try to go after Raul Castro himself, including for narco trafficking allegations. But in this case, just in the last few months, we have seen intense pressure from Cuban American lawmakers, some of whom you're going to see probably there at the Freedom Tower in the next few minutes, who've been pressuring the Trump administration to go after Raul Castro. He's 94 years old.

And the issue here is not so much perhaps that he might see a day in U.S. court to answer for justice, you know, for these families and the victims of what happened in 1996, but it's just another piece of pressure, the leverage that the U.S. is trying to exert on Cuba, given the fact that obviously they're in -- they have an economic crisis, they can barely keep the lights on in Cuba, and so this is an issue that, as you know, Boris has been very much alive in the hearts of Cuban-Americans going back to 1996. The fact is, these aircraft, these two -- these pilots, were international airspace outside of Cuban airspace. They were never given a warning. You can hear the audio that was played in court during one of the earlier trials back in the early 2000s. There was no warning given to these pilots, and you can hear the order being given to shoot down these two aircraft that were just outside of Cuban airspace.

So what happens now? Obviously, this is about pressure on Cuba, but it also is a way of giving a measure of justice to these families, the victims, of course, because the Cuban government, not only did they know that these pilots were coming in that day, but, you know, they had infiltrated the Brother to the Rescue organization. They had infiltrated congressional offices in Southern Florida. So they knew a lot about what was happening before that flight ever took off from Opa-locka.

SANCHEZ: Yes. The question now is whether this is symbolic or whether the Trump administration plans to act upon it. Evan Perez, thank you so much for the reporting.

Let's dig deeper on this with former CIA caseworker Kevin Carroll and professor of Cuban Studies at Baruch College, Ted Henkin. He's also the author of the forthcoming book "Independent Cuban Journalism: the Biography of a Movement."

Ted, let's start with you. How significant is this indictment? It's obviously a historical moment, as Evan said, decades in the making.

[13:05:00]

TED HENKEN, AUTHOR, "INDEPENDENT CUBAN JOURNALISM: THE BIOGRAPHY OF A MOVEMENT": I think it's significant for two reasons. I mean, the first reason is for the Cuban-American community and for the families of these four men. It is a day long demanded and justly demanded to find out and to prosecute the person behind this, who is Raul Castro. But in the other sense, it's also significant because it adds one other very significant layer to the pressure campaign, combined with negotiations that has been happening over the last five months since the beginning of the year. And I think those two things make it quite significant.

It's especially significant because it names the former head of state of Cuba, Raul Castro, the former head of the military of Cuba, especially 30 years ago when this attack happened. And so that sends a message to all the people in Cuba who run the government on a day to day basis. Raul Castro is virtually retired. He's 94 years old. But it sends a message to everyone else saying if the top dog can be named in an indictment in the United States, any one of us can also be under threat of prosecution. And that will force them to take the negotiations more seriously and to respond, really to the demands of the Cuban people that they open up their system. BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN ANCHOR: And just, I mean, to point out Raul Castro, Ted, is in his 90s, right? He's not in power, he's not in leadership. But speak a little bit about his symbolism, obviously, is significant and sort of how much power he wields just being Raul Castro.

HENKEN: Yes. Well, there's a word in Spanish that is intocable, and I think that untouchable is the English version. And I think that the Cuban people have long learned that there are people within the system that are untouchable. You can maybe criticize certain things, but you never touch the system itself, socialism, communism, the revolution, and you never touch the leaders.

There's an old saying in Spanish, right? You can play with the chain but not touch the monkey. Well, here the United States is reaching out Trump and Rubio and touching the monkey of Raul Castro. I think that is very powerful. And it probably gives most Cubans, both in Cuba and in Miami, who I know many of them wear very well, a real sense of elation that these people who have been impervious to demands, impervious to justice, are being named and indicted.

I think that is the symbolic power of the moment. Whether or not this leads to an actual removal of Raul Castro or any kind of formal prosecution is, I think, another matter. I think, though, that it is masterful in the sense that it's happening today on a very important day, which is Cuban Independence Day. The Republic was born 124 Years ago today. And then, you know, 60 years later, there was a revolution, right?

In Cuba, they don't celebrate the republic, they denigrate it, and they celebrate only the revolution. Of course, it's different in South Florida. And so this makes this situation particularly important for what comes next.

SANCHEZ: Kevin, forgive my sense of humor, but he talked about actually touching the monkey, right? And in the context of this old Spanish saying, I guess the question is, like, how much is the U.S. government now going to go after Castro and not only touch the monkey, but go and extract him from Cuba?

KEVIN CARROLL, FORMER CIA CASE OFFICER: I agree with the professor, the monkey has been touched. You know, the question is, the defendant's not in custody. So, I mean, to play devil's advocate a little bit, unsealing an indictment against a defendant who's not in custody is sort of like the sound of one hand clapping. I mean, are they -- are they expecting him to be extradited by a future Cuban government? Are they planning an extraordinary rendition such as happened with Maduro in Venezuela?

We just don't know. One thing I can tell you for sure as a lawyer is by announcing this thing in sort of a campaign rally down there in Florida, they're buying themselves a defense motion to dismiss the indictment, you know, for extraordinary government misconduct. It goes against everything in the Justice Manual to, you know, again, have sort of a campaign rally to announce charges. It'll be seen as improperly trying to influence the jury and against DOJ's own regulations.

KEILAR: So what should they be doing?

CARROLL: If I were them, I would keep the indictment sealed and work on getting this gentleman extradited, you know, by the next Cuban regime. I think that's the smartest thing to do. I don't think it would be wise to go in there and have Joint Special Operations Command do a snatch job for the very --

KEILAR: No Maduro raid?

CARROLL: No Maduro raid. Because the Cuban intelligence service, the DGI, has repeatedly shown the ability to penetrate the U.S. government and to give us false information through double agents. So I'd be very suspect of the intelligence and the targeting package there that it's accurate and it's not either already known to the Cubans and to give us false information through double agents. So I'd be very suspect of the intelligence and the targeting package there that it's -- that it's accurate and it's not either already known to the Cubans and or full of false info. So I'd be very nervous about a snatch job.

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SANCHEZ: I do want to get more of your thoughts on Cuban intelligence and actually how it ties to the Brother to the Rescue shootdown. But we should go to Isabel Rosales, who's live for us in Tampa, who has a guest with her. Isabel.

ISABEL ROSALES, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes. Hey, Boris. Today, a very special day for Reinaldo Martin, who was a pilot with Brother to the Rescue, flew over 130 missions with them, and was supposed to have been flying that very day.

Rei (ph), what are the words that you have as you're waiting for this indictment to happen?

REINALDO MARTIN, FORMER PILOT, BROTHERS TO THE RESCUE: Oh, I can't -- look. Word's can't --

ROSALES: You have -- you have goosebumps.

MARTIN: Yes. Goosebumps and, you know, hard to talk. But it's hard because we've been working on this for a while, since it happened, and I think we're finally coming around to get it done. And this is the beginning of it, but it finally gets done.

ROSALES: And we've been going through some of the pictures right here of your memories back from the 90s, from Hermano al Rescate, Brothers to the Rescue. You were very good friends with two of those --

MARTIN: Two of those.

ROSALES: -- that were lost.

MARTIN: Carlos --

ROSALES: Three of them were Cuban American.

MARTIN: Right.

ROSALES: Carlos and Mario.

MARTIN: Mario de la Pena.

ROSALES: How would you like for them to be remembered?

MARTIN: Well, I liked --they were -- they were humanitarians that had big hearts and they helped out. Sorry. Like ourselves and everybody in there we all helped out, and we did a lot of things, a lot of good things. And that's how I met -- I -- you know, I remember them, so. But it's hard.

ROSALES: Yes. It's a lot of emotions for you today. It's been 30 years in the making, right?

MARTIN: Yes.

ROSALES: What does it mean to have Raul Castro, that name, at the top of this indictment?

MARTIN: He deserves it because he's the one that called the shooting down of our airplanes. We're innocent fliers. We were in the middle of the Florida Straits. We weren't in Cuban waters or anything. That was just murdering.

Murdering people like anybody else. Any other murderer will go out and kill somebody with no reason.

ROSALES: Yes.

MARTIN: And that's the way it should be. He should -- but -- he should have been in jail 30 years ago.

ROSALES: Now, the Cuban regime called Brothers to the Rescue provocateurs who had come over Havana airspace, dropped leaflets. What do you say to what they've said for 30 years that this was the natural reaction to the lack of respect, of sovereignty?

MARTIN: That's -- first of all, all the allegations are not true. And they can say whatever they want to, but we didn't do none of that. On the contrary, we helped out a lot of Cubans living -- you know, they wanted to get out of the country because all the stuff that was going on there, and at the same time, we were helping humanitarian wise. We never flew over Cuba, you know, nothing that was done.

And we were international waters. They had no right to come out and shoot us down the way he did.

ROSALES: And the fact that this DOJ indictment is tied to your organization, to what happened that day in February of 1996, 30 years later, this is the 30th year anniversary, I mean, is this enough? This is just a legal framework, official charges.

MARTIN: Well, this is what --

ROSALES: Is this enough?

MARTIN: No, no. This is where it starts. So we just got to follow through all the way in and get him put in jail. And at the same time, hopefully Cuba realizes what's going on, because we're not only doing -- we're not only doing this for our guys, but at the same time, the people of Cuba that need help. OK?

And this is one way for us to start making changes that people realize, OK, that we weren't like the media in Cuba said, that we were terrorists, that we were planning to shoot down. No, we were the opposite. We were there to help the Cubans out.

ROSALES: What message do you have for Raul Castro and the Cuban regime and Miguel Diaz-Canel, the president?

MARTIN: I think -- I can't say what I think over the T.V., but I think he deserves to be in jail. OK. And the president, the new president, that's a joke. He's like a clown that they put in there.

ROSALES: And you hope this sends what message?

MARTIN: This sends a message that we need to free Cuba and let the Cubans decide, just like we do here in the United States, the freedom to vote, elect who we want down there. And that's the way it should be, not the way it's been for 67 years.

ROSALES: And as we wait for this press conference to start, is there something here you have memories you've been sharing with me all day.

MARTIN: Yes. This is -- well, this is all different ones that we've --

ROSALES: Is there -- is there one of Mario and Carlos --

MARTIN: There's one.

ROSALES: -- and anything that you want our audience to keep in mind?

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MARTIN: Yes, that -- well, there's different ones that we have, but here's Mario, one of our flights. OK. And we have different pictures. There's the one that I really was looking for. That's me, Carlos and Mario de la Pena in Bahamas. What happened was --

ROSALES: Yes.

MARTIN: -- is every time Cubans came to the Bahamas, they would put them in like a concentration camp and we supplied the food, the water for them on a weekly basis. So every time -- every week, this one time I took an airplane, he took an airplane and he took an airplane all full of goods from Opa-locka.

ROSALES: And that's what you guys did in mission after mission. Real quick, Rei, how do you want them to be remembered and what is their legacy?

MARTIN: Their legacy is they helped humanitarian wise a lot of people and they will -- should be remembered as those people that did good for the Cuban community. OK. Everywhere where it's needed, especially Cuba. And they had big hearts. And that's what I'd like for them to remember.

ROSALES: Yes. And Rei, we're -- I know this is such a big moment. We actually have CNN up right here --

MARTIN: OK.

ROSALES: -- and we're going to be watching this indictment live as it comes in. I know that this is going to be a deeply emotional moment for you.

MARTIN: Yes.

ROSALES: And something that you told me you've been waiting three decades for it.

MARTIN: Three decades.

ROSALES: Three decades. So we're going to watch his reaction live to this moment. That's been a long time coming, not just for Rei, not just for Brother to the Rescue, but for the exile, the diaspora in all of Florida and beyond, of course.

SANCHEZ: Isabel Rosales and Tampa, please standby for that as we await the official announcement from officials at the Department of Justice including acting Attorney General Todd Blanche that the United States is about to unseal an indictment against former Cuban president Raul Castro and others. Among the charges, murder for the shoot down of a humanitarian mission that was flying international waters in 1996 that killed four people, including three American citizens.

As we await the start of this event, I want to go back to Kevin Carroll because, Kevin, a moment ago were discussing Cuban intelligence capacity. And just a few days ago, you and I were talking about Chinese bases, Russian bases in Cuba. It should be noted that Cuban intelligence services are among the most effective in the world. And part of the reason that the shootdown happened is because Cuban intelligence not only infiltrated that group, but also congressional offices and U.S. intelligence services. So help us get the context here for how far reaching Cuban efforts were to get inside the U.S. government.

Sure. CARROLL: As you said, they're one of the most effective and evil intelligence services in the world. They're obviously in service of an evil regime. They were trained in foreign intelligence by the old KGB. They were trained internal security by the old Stasi. And they're just extraordinarily good.

In my experience, working against them just a little bit, they were the only foreign intelligence officers that would carry guns in the United States. You know, they perform acts of violence, you know, against Cuban dissidents in the United States. I'm even aware of a circumstance in which they drew down and pulled guns on FBI one time. So these are very tough customers and they're very effective. I mean, they just -- they had a long term source in the State Department who just died the other day.

They had a source inside Defense Intelligence Agency, Ana Belen Montes, I believe, and other undisclosed penetrations that the U.S. government is aware of that they took care of without judicial process. But yes, and I think you always have to be very worried when you're going up against them, especially on their home turf.

KEILAR: Yes, extensive infiltrations. Kevin, stand by for us. Ted, thank you. If you could stand by as well. We are awaiting this announcement there in Miami from the acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, as the DOJ is now indicting the former Cuban president Raul Castro.

This is about to happen imminently. So we're going to have a quick break and we'll be right back as this happens.

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[13:23:31]

SANCHEZ: As we are standing by for this historic announcement from Miami of the unsealing of an indictment of former Cuban President Raul Castro, we have reaction from a survivor of the Brother to the Rescue shootdown and family members of those killed. Sylvia Iriondo, a survivor of the shootdown said that today was, quote, "a day of hope, a day that marks a road of justice that has eluded our families and communities for 30 years." These are live images of the Freedom Tower in downtown Miami, where the event is set to start momentarily.

We're also hearing from Nelson Morales, the brother of pilot Pablo Morales who died in the shootdown, calling Wednesday a glorious day for exiled Cubans who are demanding justice. We're going to stay on top of these pictures and bring you the latest images from Miami as we get them. Brianna.

KEILAR: The president getting his revenge, picking off another Republican rival, Kentucky Congressman Thomas Massie, losing his primary race against Trump, backed challenger Ed Gallrein. In this cycle Trump has now successfully campaigned for the ousters of Massie, Louisiana Senator Bill Cassidy and five of the seven Republican state lawmakers in Indiana who voted against his redistricting effort there. That winning streak does not bode well for incumbent Senator John Cornyn of Texas, considering Trump has endorsed his challenger, the state attorney general Ken Paxton, ahead of their runoff next week.

A number of Republicans tell CNN Paxton will have a harder time beating Democratic candidate James Talarico than Cornyn would, and Trump's endorsement of primary challengers makes it harder to get his agenda passed.

[13:25:09

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SEN. LINDSEY GRAHAM (R-SC): I think we'll win Texas no matter what. But the truth of the matter is probably with Paxton, it's going to cost more money.

SEN. THOM TILLIS (R-NC): They should fire whoever thought this was going to somehow hold votes together. It's probably going to increase the threshold for anything that's the least bit questionable.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

KEILAR: We're joined now by CNN political analyst Alex Thompson.

Alex Cornyn is not bowing out. Obviously, what are his chances up against Paxton?

ALEX THOMPSON, CNN POLITICAL ANALYST: Well, as good as Thomas Massie's were. I mean, they're different races. But the fact of the matter is that Donald Trump's endorsement still is the most important factor in any Republican primary in the country. Yes, Donald Trump's full rating numbers are down, especially with Independents and with some Republicans, especially younger Republicans. But overall, he is still the dominant figure in the party.

And the point of all of these races was not just to beat Thomas Massie or to beat John Cornyn or beat, you know, a few state senators in the end, the point of all of this is a sense to every other Republican lawmaker, which is that if you challenge the sitting president, that you may lose your career, your seat.

KEILAR: What could a Paxton v. Talarico race look like?

THOMPSON: Well, Senator Graham put it well that it's going to cost the Republican Party a lot more money, and that's in part because Talarico has raised a ton of money. He is one of the top fundraisers of any Democratic candidate up and down the ballot this entire year. That being said, Republicans I've talked to, even ones that were affiliated with Cornyn, still feel very confident. You know, they feel that they, you know, Texas is a little bit loosey with the football, and Democrats are Charlie, in this scenario where they think they're going to get it, they're going to spend a ton of money on it. But Paxton, at the end of the day, despite the fact that he has had many, many scandals, the fact of the matter is that he has been elected statewide before, and they expect he will be elected statewide again.

KEILAR: Looking at Kentucky, Congressman Massie losing last night, this is part of what he said in his concession speech.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

REP. THOMAS MASSIE (R-KY): This has started out as an election, and it turned into a movement. I mean, we stirred up something. There is a yearning in this country for somebody who will vote for principles over party.

(END VIDEO CLIP) KEILAR: Is there?

THOMPSON: Well, it didn't really sound like a retirement speech, did it?

KEILAR: No.

THOMPSON: And there have been many murmurs of Representative Massie, soon to be former Representative Massie, trying to run for president in 2028. Now, he would certainly be a significant underdog in a Republican primary, but there has also been chatter of him or someone like him running as an independent, given that there are fractures, especially on foreign policy, within the Republican Party. You saw a New York Times poll come out just this week showing that there are significant differences, especially when it comes to Israel, with Republicans under 45 versus over 45. And if you have an Independent from the right running in a general election, that could significantly hurt whoever Trump prefers as his successor.

KEILAR: Yes, certainly can see that happening.

Alex, thank you so much. Really appreciate it.

And we are right now awaiting this media availability, this big announcement in Miami from the acting attorney general after the after the -- after indictment by the DOJ of former Cuban President Raul Castro. This is happening imminently. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be right back as this happens.

Actually, and it just looks like it's underway now. No sooner than I had said that did we see the acting attorney general, Todd Blanche, coming out there.

So many people are here for what is very much a -- I think it's seen very much as a symbolic indictment because as Kevin Carroll, former CIA case officer, points out to us, if he really wanted this to stick, you might not make a circus out of it, Boris.

SANCHEZ: It is more likely that there will be some kind of defense motion based on an announcement like this. If you hear from legal experts, we should point out, of course, that this is based on information that, according to our reporting, the U.S. government obtained back in the 90s during the Clinton administration, a recording of the former president essentially saying that he gave his blessing in instructing the pilots of the planes that ultimately shot down the unarmed ones to do what they did. Let's go ahead and listen in Miami's Freedom Tower right now for this historic announcement.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Lost in this pursuit of freedom, this ceremony is deeply significant because we stand here at the Freedom Tower, our Freedom Tower. A place that represents refuge, resilience and enduring hope for those who --