U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio arrives to brief members of Congress on the situation in Venezuela, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., January 5, 2026. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
When Secretary of State Marco Rubio was a U.S. senator, he was like a hero to one diplomat who was struck with Havana Syndrome while serving the U.S. in China back in 2018.
The New York Post spoke with Mark Lenzi, who has become one of the most prominent victims, saying that he was targeted when he blew the whistle on those who continue to suffer the effects.
He said that he faced “negative rumors about his management,” which led to being ostracized at work and made his health problem worse.
“As senator, Marco Rubio was a crucial lawmaker for me and my three family members to receive vital HAVANA Act designation status,” Lenzi said in an interview. “My family regarded him as nothing short of heroic for us.”
Indeed, Rubio announced in 2023 that he refused to believe a CIA report that claimed Havana Syndrome was not the result of a foreign adversary, United Press International (UPI) reported.
But now that Rubio is running the State Department and serving as the acting national security advisor, he's gone quiet.
“As Secretary of State, he has been Missing In Action on this issue when I have needed him most and has stood by and done nothing while Deep State bureaucrats have retaliated against me for testifying to Congress about State Department efforts to cover up evidence,” Lenzi continued.
Havana Syndrome has impacted several U.S. government employees who worked at embassies in Cuba, Russia, Austria, Germany, Colombia, Georgia, Vietnam and even within the United States, the Government Accountability Office reported. The first case of it popped up in Cuba, which is how it got its name.
It often manifests as a loud noise that causes immense pain in the head and ears. The aftermath has left some embassy employees with memory loss, hearing loss, dizziness, debilitating headaches and more. While preliminary studies have found no MRI-detectable brain damage or biological abnormalities, the long-term impacts remain under study, the National Institutes of Health said in its findings.
The Helping American Victims Afflicted by Neurological Attacks (HAVANA) Act, passed in 2021, allocated financial aid to those who were plagued by the problem to ensure they were cared for, particularly in the case of those who were no longer able to work.
Greg Edgreen, a former defense official, went public on “60 Minutes” about one of his own staffers who was plagued by a mysterious brain problem.
“I can tell you at an early stage I started looking at Moscow,” he said. “I believe that we’ve lost our way in the [intelligence community] in terms of how we put out assessments."
Lenzi agrees, telling The Post that he thinks the Russians are using microwave technology to target Americans.
News broke earlier this year that the Pentagon has been testing a device that some believe could be behind Havana Syndrome, CNN confirmed.
Lenzi has already settled one lawsuit against the State Department alleging he was the victim of retaliation.
In June, however, the State Department removed his email and office access, court documents say. Lenzi's lawyers allege that the move “curtailed his ability to access information in pursuit of this lawsuit.”
In 2023, Rubio said in a statement about the CIA findings, "I am concerned that the Intelligence Community effectively concluded that U.S. personnel, who reported Anomalous Health Incidents symptoms, were simply experiencing symptoms caused by environmental factors, illness or preexisting conditions and is potently rushing to conclusions when substantial questions remain."