State Dept Evades On Bizarre Cuba Story's 'Incidents,' 'Symptoms' | Rachel Maddow

>>> THIS IS SUCH A STRANGE STORY.
IT STARTED THIS MORNING ON THE RADIO.
VERY INTERESTING. I LOVE RADIO NEWS.
IT'S MY BACKGROUND, MY FAVORITE THING IN THE WORLD.
CBS IS REALLY GOOD AT IT. AND THIS WAS A VERY UNUSUAL
THING FOR THEM. THEY RAN THIS VERY PROVOCATIVE,
VERY INTERESTING REPORT THAT ALSO MADE NO SENSE.
LISTEN TO THIS. TELL ME IF THIS MAKES ANY SENSE
TO YOU. >> THE STATE DEPARTMENT
SPOKESPERSON SAYS SOME U.S. GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL IN HAVANA
ON OFFICIAL DUTY REPORTED INCIDENTS THAT CAUSED A VARIETY
OF PHYSICAL INCIDENTS. IT DID TAKE ACTION AGAINST CUBA.
ON MAY 23rd, THE U.S. ASKED, DO CUBAN OFFICIALS IN THE U.S. TO
LEAVE THE COUNTRY. THE SPOKESPERSON ALSO SAYS IT
REMINDED THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT OF ITS OBLIGATIONS UNDER THE VIENNA
CONVENTION TO PROTECT DIPLOMATS. AN INVESTIGATION IS UNDER WAY.
>> PROTECT THE DIPLOMATS FROM WHAT?
THAT WAS THE FULL REPORT. NONDESCRIBED INCIDENTS HAPPENED
TO OUR AMERICAN DIPLOMATS IN CUBA.
THOSE INCIDENTS CAUSED THE DIPLOMATS TO DEVELOP SYMPTOMS
THAT CANNOT BE DESCRIBED. CONVENTIONS.
LIKE, WHAT A THING HAPPENED AT A TIME AT A PLACE, BAD, GOT IT?
WE'RE NOT EXPLAINING FURTHER. AND THIS REPORT JUST KIND OF
HUNG OUT THERE FOR A FEW HOURS. WIRE SERVICES EVENTUALLY PICKED
IT UP. NOBODY WAS ABLE TO ADD ANYTHING
TO THE ORIGINAL RADIO REPORT. SO THEN THAT SAME CBS RADIO
REPORTER SHOWED UP AT THE STATE DEPARTMENT BRIEFING TODAY,
CLEARLY FRUSTRATED, RIGHT? HOPING TO GET SOME MORE ACTUAL
INFORMATION, SOME FLESH TO HANG ON THOSE BONES, AS TO WHAT THE
HECK THOSE INCIDENTS WERE, WHAT THOSE SYMPTOMS WERE, THAT BEFELL
OUR U.S. DIPLOMATS AND HOW BIG A DEAL IS THIS.
THEY ASKED THE STATE DEPARTMENT. AND T
>>> SEE IF YOU CAN FIGURE THIS OUT.
WHAT ON GOD'S GREEN EARTH IS THE GOVERNMENT REFUSING TO EXPLAIN
HERE? SEE IF YOU CAN FIGURE IT OUT.
>> CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE INCIDENTS THAT HAVE BEEN GOING
ON IN HAVANA AFFECTING U.S. GOVERNMENT WORKERS THERE?
>> YES. WE'RE CERTAINLY AWARE OF WHAT
HAS HAPPENED THERE. GIVE ME ONE SECOND HERE.
AND THAT'S WHY WE GOT A LITTLE BIT OF A LATE START GETTING
RECENT UPDATES FOR YOU ON THIS. >> EXCELLENT.
THE STATE DEPARTMENT IS CERTAINLY AWARE OF WHATEVER
HAPPENED IN CUBA. THEY HAVE RECENT UPDATES.
THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING ON IT. THEY HAVE BEEN PREPARING TO TELL
US MORE. >> I'M NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO
GIVE YOU A TON OF INFORMATION ABOUT THIS TODAY.
I'LL TELL YOU WHAT WE CAN PROVIDE SO FAR.
WE DON'T HAVE ANY DEFINITIVE ANSWERS ABOUT THE SOURCE OR THE
CAUSE OF WHAT WE CONSIDER TO BE INCIDENTS.
>> IF THE U.S. DOESN'T HAVE A DEFINITIVE ANSWER ON THE CAUSE
OR SOURCE OF THE INCIDENTS, WHY DID IT ASK THOSE TWO CUBAN
EMBASSY OFFICIALS TO DEPART THE U.S.?
>> LOOK, SOME OF OUR PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE OPTION OF LEAVING CUBA
AS A RESULT, FOR MEDICAL REASONS.
>> HOW MANY? >> I CAN'T TELL YOU THE EXACT
NUMBER OF THAT. >> WAS IT IN THE TENS, DOZENS?
>> I'M NOT GOING TO CHARACTERIZE IT.
>> THIS WAS IN 2016, YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT THE INCIDENCE IS.
>> IT'S PROVIDING MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS TO THESE PEOPLE.
INITIALLY WHEN THEY STARTED REPORTING WHAT I WILL JUST CALL
SYMPTOMS, IT TOOK TIME TO FIGURE OUT WHAT IT WAS.
THIS IS STILL ONGOING. WE TAKE THIS VERY SERIOUSLY.
THIS INCIDENT. THIS INCIDENT.
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE CALLING IT. WE DON'T KNOW EXACTLY.
>> THE PHYSICAL SYMPTOM WASN'T DEATH, WAS IT?
>> NO. IT WAS NOT.
IT WAS NOT. >> NOT LIFE-THREATENING?
>> NOT LIFE-THREATENING. I'LL LEAVE IT AT THAT.
ANYTHING ELSE ON CUBA? WE'RE DONE WITH CUBA, CORRECT?
>> WE'RE DONE WITH CUBA. EVERYBODY GOT A HANDLE ON THIS
STORY? WE'RE DONE, RIGHT?
YOU WRITE IT ALL DOWN? LET'S GET THIS STRAIGHT.
THERE WERE INCIDENTS. WE DO NOT KNOW WHAT THE
INCIDENTS ARE. WE DO NOT HAVE THE DATE WHEN IT
HAPPENED. WE DON'T KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE
SHOWED THE SYMPTOMS FROM THESE INCIDENTS.
WE'LL NOT TELL YOU WHAT THE SYMPTOMS ARE.
WE KNOW THE U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT IS TAKING THI THIS V
SERIOUSLY AND IS VERY HAPPY TO CLEAR IT UP.
IMAGINE IF YOU KNEW SOMEBODY WAS WORKING FOR THE STATE DEPARTMENT
IN CUBA. WELL, THANK GOD FOR REPORTERS.
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FINALLY SPELLED THIS OUT TODAY.
LONG AFTER THE STATE DEPARTMENT BLEW ALL THAT WEIRD SMOKE, THE
A.P. GOT A SOURCE TO DESCRIBE THOSE MYSTERIOUS SYMPTOMS AND
WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT. QUOTE, INVESTIGATORS ARE LOOKING
INTO WHETHER ELEMENTS OF THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT PLACED SONIC
DEVICES THAT PRODUCED NONAUDIBLE SOUND INSIDE OR OUTSIDE THE
RESIDENCES OF ROUGHLY FIVE U.S. EMBASSY STAFFERS WITH THE INTENT
OF DEAFENING THEM. AMERICAN DIPLOMATS IN CUBA,
STARTING LAST YEAR, HAVE BEEN BEING INTENTIONALLY MADE DEAF BY
SECRET DEVICES PLACED AT THEIR HOMES BY THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT.
THIS IS NOT JUST STRANGE, THIS IS OBVIOUSLY A VERY BAD STORY IF
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED MUCH THE CUBAN GOVERNMENT ON THEIR PART
SAYS THEY'RE INVESTIGATING THESE REPORTS.
IN A CASE LIKE THIS IT WOULD BE HELPFUL TO GET SOMETHINGETHING
THAN SMILING WORD SALAD FROM OUR OWN GOVERNMENT.
BUT THAT'S NOT THE WAY THINGS WORK ANYMORE IN OUR OWN
GOVERNMENT. WE'LL BE RIGHT BACK.
HOLD THAT THOUGHT.
>> WE TAKE THIS VERY SERIOUSLY. THIS INCIDENT.

State Dept Evades On Bizarre Cuba Story's 'Incidents,' 'Symptoms' | Rachel Maddow | MSNBC

Latest Posts