Why did a GOP House candidate register as Cuba's foreign agent?
Vic Mellor wants to represent Rhode Island’s 2nd Congressional District. In late May, mid-campaign, he flew to Havana, delivered humanitarian supplies, and met twice over lengthy dinners with Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro, grandson of former Cuban leader Raul Castro. Three weeks later, he registered with the Justice Department as a foreign agent for two arms of the Cuban government.
TL;DR
- Vic Mellor, a candidate for Rhode Island's 2nd Congressional District, registered as a foreign agent for Cuba's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Raul Guillermo Rodriguez Castro.
- Mellor met with Rodriguez Castro in Havana after flying there to deliver humanitarian supplies.
- Mellor's stated purpose for registration included improving Cuban-American relations and discussing communication strategies.
- The Cuban-American National Chamber of Commerce denied urging Mellor's trip and opposes meetings with the current Cuban regime.
- Critics, including incumbent Rep. Seth Magaziner, label Mellor a 'registered agent of a foreign dictatorship'.
- Mellor's past activities include serving as an informal 'chief of staff' to retired Gen. Michael Flynn and building a media operation.
- A sitting member of Congress cannot act as an agent for a foreign principal required to register under FARA.
- Questions remain about Cuba's motivations for engaging with Mellor, possibly as an unconventional intermediary.