Trump’s New Cuba Negotiator Fought For Stronger Cuba Ties

Trump's New Cuba Negotiator Fought For Stronger Cuba Ties
Trump's pick to lead his administration's most sensitive negotiations
has run two nonprofits that have encouraged stronger ties with Cuba — a
position at odds with Trump's campaign pledges.
posted on Jan. 24, 2017, at 5:27 p.m.

White House Special Representative for International Negotiations Jason
Greenblatt Evan Agostini / AP
The attorney President Donald Trump has chosen to lead his
administration's most sensitive negotiations between the US and Cuba
leads a set of nonprofits supporting stronger ties between the countries
— a position at odds with Trump campaign statements.
Until December, Jason Greenblatt served as a senior vice president at
the Trump Organization and acted as the corporation's chief legal
officer. He was sworn in on Sunday as the White House's "special
representative for international negotiations." Among that remit will
be, according to CNN at the time the position was announced, "working on
Israel-Palestinian peace process, the American relationship with Cuba
and trade agreements."
Greenblatt and his family run both Triplets4ACause.com and
InspireConversation.com. The former is a charity-driven site spearheaded
by his 18-year-old triplets; the latter is a parenting website with
profiles for all seven members of the family. (The family also serves as
the collective co-author of a set of books of travel for families and a
related website.)
Last April, the Triplets4ACause site posted an article calling for teens
in US and Cuba to come together. "We are of Cuban heritage – our
grandfather was born and raised there — and we are seeking to form
deeper connections with Cuban teens by communicating, sharing
experiences and bonding," the post reads.
And in 2014, InspireConversation asked readers to watch then-President
Obama's speech announcing rapprochement with Cuba, calling it part of a
"fascinating time in history."
"This is an important development to discuss with children old enough to
understand it," the post reads. "Teens especially will be given an
opportunity to explore a time in history that did much to color the
diplomacy and international community of today. It also represents a
chance for people who live so close, yet have become so distant, to
reunite in an inspirational way."
"Most of the blogs are discussed at our own table," Inspire
Conversation's "About This Website" section reads. "Our children have
their own opinions about these topics. Many times they agree with one
another (and with us), and other times there is respectful disagreement.
Reading these blogs together with your children will be an excellent
bonding experience."
The recommendation to have discussions about Cuba run up against the
statements Trump made during the campaign, most of which slammed the
Obama administration for its detente with the Castro government.
"All of the concessions that Barack Obama has granted the Castro regime
were done through executive order, which means the next president can
reverse them and that's what I will do if the Castro regime does not
meet our demands," Trump said in September, pledging to close the newly
reopened US Embassy in Havana.
Greenblatt himself travelled to Cuba between 2012 and 2013, Businessweek
reported in July, to scout future investment potentials for the
now-president's company.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment on Greenblatt's
position on Cuba.

Source: Trump's New Cuba Negotiator Fought For Stronger Cuba Ties -
BuzzFeed News -
https://www.buzzfeed.com/hayesbrown/trumps-new-cuba-negotiator-fought-for-stronger-cuba-ties?utm_term=.dckNp8V#.wrybd94