A Democratic lawmaker has sparked backlash after saying she discussed oil supplies to Cuba with foreign ambassadors despite U.S. sanctions and defended the move as “actually our right and our responsibility.”
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., made the comments at a recent news conference in Seattle after a congressional delegation visited Cuba, where she discussed the island’s worsening fuel shortages and U.S. policy toward the communist regime.
“I’m talking to the ambassador from Mexico and a number of other places… trying to figure out how to get oil there,” Jayapal told a news conference, calling the situation on the island “a crisis beyond imagination.”
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Jayapal said the event was part of a broader briefing on the humanitarian situation in Cuba following her recent visit.
“As many of you know, I traveled to Cuba last month as part of a congressional delegation,” she said. “One of my responsibilities is to understand how U.S. foreign policy actually affects the people of the countries where it is implemented.”
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During her visit, she said she met with Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel, senior government officials, political dissidents, civil society groups and foreign diplomats.
Video of the remarks was widely shared on X, with users criticizing the progressive lawmaker’s remarks and raising legal concerns.
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Conservative coverage amplified the video, including “End Wokeness,” which claimed she was “conspiring against the United States” and suggested her actions could constitute a federal felony. TikTok’s Libs wrote that her behavior “smacks of treason to me.”
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Social media users also pointed to potential legal implications. “Traitor. She should be prosecuted,” “The Charlie Kirk Show” executive producer Andrew Corvette wrote on X.
These claims constitute political commentary and have not been independently verified, and no investigation or charges have been publicly announced.
Jayapal responded to the backlash in a post on
She made the remarks as she harshly criticized U.S. sanctions on Cuba, calling them an “economic bombing of infrastructure.”
“This is illegal. This is illegal,” she said. “It’s essentially doing the same thing. It’s bombarding Cuba’s infrastructure with economic sanctions and basically ensuring the collapse of the infrastructure.”
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The controversy has also sparked discussion of the Logan Act, a rarely used federal law that prohibits unauthorized individuals from negotiating with foreign governments in disputes involving the United States.
Former federal prosecutor Andrew McCarthy told Fox News Digital that the statute has never led to a conviction and has been rarely used in U.S. history.
“There was never a conviction based on it – in fact, there were only two indictments, the last one about 174 years ago,” McCarthy said.
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Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., is among a group of progressive Democrats who have criticized the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee for interfering in a contentious primary in California’s 22nd Congressional District to support centrist candidates over left-leaning candidates.
He added that any potential legal risks would depend on whether lawmakers took specific actions to violate U.S. sanctions.
“There will be no criminal case … unless it can be proven that she took some action that violated or aided and abetted a violation of sanctions,” McCarthy said.
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He believes disputes over dealings with foreign governments are more appropriately handled through political accountability rather than criminal law.
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The Trump administration has previously described the Cuban government as a national security concern because of its ties to hostile countries and actors, including ties to Iran and alleged ties to groups such as Hezbollah. The Cuban government has also faced longstanding criticism of political repression and restrictions on free speech.
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The island’s economic conditions have led to a surge in immigration, with hundreds of thousands of Cubans arriving in the United States in recent years.
Jayapal, who visited Cuba in April with Rep. Jonathan Jackson, D-Ill., argued that U.S. policies were worsening conditions for civilians on the island while acknowledging the Cuban government’s concerns.
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“I do also have criticisms of the Cuban government … and in our meetings I always raise those criticisms,” she said, citing issues such as political prisoners and restrictions on dissent.
“The Cuban government has sent many signals that this is a new moment for the country,” Jayapal said in a statement after his visit, adding that the U.S. fuel restrictions amounted to “cruel collective punishment.”
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She called for the lifting of the U.S. embargo and the removal of Cuba from the list of state sponsors of terrorism, while supporting legislation to block potential U.S. military action against the country.
Fox News Digital has reached out to Jayapal’s office, the White House and the State Department for comment.
Original source of the article: Democratic representatives admit working with Mexico to smuggle oil into Cuba despite blockade