Those who challenge and protest U.S. policies are not foreign-paid terrorists; Rubio and other Trump appointees are using “McCarthy” tactics to stop dissent, says Ann Wright.
Highly sensitive and authoritarian, the Trump administration appears convinced it is being unfairly targeted by critics of its policies. Consequently, Trump officials have resorted to severe “McCarthy” style measures aimed at suppressing opposition.
Within a month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has propelled two major moves claiming that dissent and protests are attempts by foreign governments “to overthrow the government of the United States.”
First, he helped organize an international conference involving 60 nations addressing “Threats From Left-Wing Terrorists.” Then, he released a report on Cuba accusing nearly every group that has ever traveled there of being funded by the Cuban government.
If You Are Not Outraged, You Aren’t Watching
Such claims that protesters are paid agents and that travel expenses are covered by foreign regimes lack any basis, contradicting the well-established history of U.S. protests and citizens visiting other nations to witness how U.S. policies affect them.
President Donald Trump’s unpredictable foreign policy—such as reckless assaults on Iran to benefit Benjamin Netanyahu’s Israeli war agenda—along with domestic cuts to health and education, harsh treatment of migrants, daily reckless remarks, and disregard for facts provide ample justification for U.S. citizens to demonstrate their outrage.
I have never been compensated by any government to protest U.S. policies, nor do I know anyone who has.
No payment is necessary to express legitimate outrage!
Dissent Is Not Illegal, Nor Paid by Other Countries
Sen. Joe McCarthy, center, confers with Roy Cohn, chief counsel for House Un-American Activities Committee, Aug. 23, 1953. (Los Angeles Times/Wikimedia Commons)
Secretary of State and National Security adviser Marco Rubio, author of the latest “McCarthy” style report meant to silence opposition to the illegal and unethical policies of his office and the broader Trump administration, clearly seems disconnected from the long tradition of dissent in America.
During his 15 years in the U.S. Senate, he should recall that many governments’ policies have been peacefully and legally challenged by citizens within the halls of the U.S. Congress.
Having participated in numerous protests since resigning from the State Department in March 2003 to oppose President George W. Bush’s war on Iraq, I know these demonstrations are not foreign-backed schemes “to overthrow the government of the United States,” but genuine expressions of concern regarding particular policies.
Rubio’s claims about foreign governments funding these protests are completely unfounded.
I was not paid to resign; I left because I believed the war on Iraq was unlawful, immoral, and a threat to U.S. national security.
Similarly, I have not been remunerated by any nation to protest U.S. policies, nor am I acquainted with anyone who has. Protesting is a legitimate, often time-demanding way for people to highlight their grievances and try to drive policy change.
Rubio: Blame the Left, Ignore Right’s Violent Attack
The initial attack on lawful protests came at a State Department–hosted July conference on “Far-Left Terrorism” in Washington, D.C., where Rubio and White House operative Stephen Miller accused left-wing extremists of seeking to overthrow the U.S. government before representatives from 66 countries.
In his opening remarks, Rubio declared:
“This is a distinctive and unique evil. It has always been driven by a hatred above all else, a hatred for civilization itself. It is a revolt of the worst against the best, a revolt of the weak and the cowardly against the strong and the good.”
Deputy Chief of Staff Miller described left-wing extremism as an escalating menace targeting “the overthrow of our system and form of government,” which previous officials allegedly neglected. Miller stated:
“We must stay the course and be completely unflinching in the pursuit of justice against these enemies of civilization. If the left is allowed to use the real or actual threat of violence to destabilize our institutions, then those institutions cannot and will not succeed.”
A White House press release proclaimed:
“Under the leadership of President Donald J. Trump, far-left extremism will be treated with the same seriousness and ferocity the world has long reserved for jihadist terrorism.”
Notably absent from Rubio and Miller’s remarks was any mention of President Trump’s pardon of over 1,500 individuals who participated in the violent January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, where they assaulted police officers and ransacked congressional offices.
The attempt to overturn the 2020 election via lawsuits in 62 federal and state courts was spearheaded by Trump’s loyal lawyers, including acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche and disgraced former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.
All lawsuits alleging voter fraud were dismissed due to lack of evidence.
Untruthful Report About Cuba & Paid Protesters
Prisoners of the C.I.A,-backed Brigade 2506, after they were captured in the Bay of Pigs invasion, 1961. (Miguel Vinas / Wikimedia Commons / Public Domain)
The latest and most absurd accusations against left-wing groups and protests, branding them as financed by foreign governments, appear in Rubio’s 10-page report entitled “Cuba: the Capital of 21st Century Communism.”
In it, Rubio claims that organizations such as the National Network on Cuba, National Lawyers Guild, CODEPINK: Women for Peace, the People’s Forum, IFCO/Pastors for Peace, and the Democratic Socialists of America receive financial support from the Cuban government, alleging that Cuba’s long-term aim is to overthrow the U.S. government.
These assertions invert reality. For over 60 years, 13 consecutive U.S. administrations—including Eisenhower, Kennedy, Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr., Clinton, Bush Jr., Obama (noteworthy for continuing C.I.A. policies in his first term but easing relations in the second), Trump (twice), Biden—have consistently attempted to topple Cuba’s government.
Currently, efforts focus on the brutal and comprehensive U.S. embargo restricting fuel supplies to Cuba, resulting in widespread power outages affecting hospitals, food preparation, and daily life for Cuban citizens.
Such misery is intended to provoke Cubans into overthrowing their government, something Cuban-American Rubio has long favored.
Rubio Dishonest About Cuban American Background
Marco Rubio has been less than candid about his Cuban-American roots amidst his campaign against Cuba’s government.
Rubio, known as “Mr. Righteous against birthright citizenship,” is himself a birthright citizen, born in the U.S. to noncitizen parents who emigrated from Cuba in 1956 during the Batista regime, prior to the 1959 revolution.
“Mr. Tough on illegal immigrants” Rubio omits that his grandfather entered the U.S. illegally and faced deportation but was spared due to an amnesty during the Cuban missile crisis.
Rubio, who claims “Mr. Kill the Boat Drug Runners of the Caribbean” status, ignores that his brother-in-law was convicted in a drug smuggling operation, with his sister implicated though never charged.
His assertion, “Mr. I Know All About Cuba Because I Am Cuban American,” rings hollow given that his sole visit to Cuba was a brief stop at the U.S. naval base prison at Guantánamo.
Likely, further developments will unfold in the coming two years as Rubio, Miller, and others in the administration press forward with aggressive intimidation toward those who peacefully oppose them, unlike the violent perpetrators of January 6.
Specifically, protests frequently spotlight the devastating impact of harsh sanctions the U.S. imposes to coerce citizens of nations like Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, and Nicaragua into overthrowing their own governments.
Israel’s Paid Influence Seems OK With Rubio
Rubio and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivering joint statements in Jerusalem on Feb. 16, 2025. (State Department/ Freddie Everett)
Yet Rubio appears unbothered by the fact that his allies in Netanyahu’s government have paid Trump’s former campaign manager, Brad Parscale, millions of dollars to influence U.S. public opinion, aiming to counteract the sharp decline in Israel’s “popularity.”
Parscale’s firm received $6 million in September 2025 and later secured a $15 million contract with Israeli agency Havas to run a digital campaign for the State of Israel, as reported under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).
Parscale’s team encouraged conservative influencers to use favorable messaging about Israel on platforms like X, Instagram, and TikTok, compensating them based on “likes” generated by their posts.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s administration has sharply increased its spending on influence efforts, quintupling its “public diplomacy” budget from $150 million in 2025 to $730 million in 2026.
Still, The Times of Israel concedes it may be “too late for a face lift” as a Pew Research Center poll found that 60% of Americans now hold an unfavorable view of Israel, up by seven points in one year, with only 37% expressing a favorable opinion.
This shift follows Israel’s commission of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza, systemic plundering of Palestinian land in ethnic cleansing campaigns in the West Bank, destruction of southern Lebanon, and drawing the Trump administration deeply into conflict with Iran.
Keep Challenging Illegal, Immoral & Criminal Policies
The two recent notable efforts by the Trump administration to suppress dissent highlight the heightened stakes for those confronting unlawful and unethical policies, underscoring the vital need to resist attempts to intimidate citizens into silence.
Despite these forceful tactics, public expressions of protest continue to grow among ordinary Americans. In a letter to the editor of my hometown paper, the Honolulu Star Advertiser, which serves a large military community, a local resident aptly captured the issue:
“The true domestic enemy includes those who monopolize political and economic power. The real enemy includes individuals who misinform, threaten, and disenfranchise the less powerful. The true enemy are those who are antidemocratic, have little or no concern regarding the welfare of others, and enrich themselves, family, and a few friends at the expense of the general population.”
Original article: consortiumnews.com/
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