At an event in Miami commemorating the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of Cuba Sunday, U.S. Senator Marco Rubio paid homage to the 2506 Brigade, which led the assault. Organized by the CIA in 1961, the disastrous invasion was soundly defeated by the Cuban military and its people.
The former Republican presidential candidate took the opportunity to pose for a photo with Felix Rodriguez, former CIA agent who was a leader in the planning of the Bay of Pigs.
Rodriguez is also known as the person responsible for giving the order to kill Che Guevara, a leading figure in the Cuban Revolution, who had arrived in Bolivia in 1966 to lead a guerrilla movement to overthrow the U.S.-backed government there.
The CIA recruited Rodriguez in 1967 to head a team to hunt down Che.
Rodriguez, whose cover was that of a Bolivian army major, is pictured in the last photograph of Che alive.
In his comments during the ceremony, Rubio said he lamented the lack of respect given to Cuban "martyrs" such as the 2506 Brigade and hinted that the Obama administration did not have any sympathy for "the thousands of Cubans who have died over more than 55 years of Cuban Communist rule for the sake of trying to bring democracy and freedom to the island."
He also criticized the series of concessions that have been made by Obama to Cuba which he maintained "has not respected human rights."
The event took place near the monument dedicated to the 2506 Brigade, according to Semanario Libre.