This MAGA candidate takes his mojito shaken, not stirred.
Victor Mellor, a Jan. 6 rioter running for U.S. Congress in Rhode Island, was revealed Wednesday to be a foreign agent for Communists in Cuba, according to governmentfiles and a new report.
“Mellor has quite the resume,” Bulwark reporter Joe Perticone quipped.
Foreign Agents Registration Act filings dated June 16 reveal Mellor — challenging Rep. Seth Magaziner (D-RI) in the race to represent the state’s 2nd Congressional District — was engaged by Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of the Interior.
Mellor pitched the ministry some “good websites” and made a video about cultural misunderstandings that it has not released, according to one filing.
“These activities are for the intention of promoting communication and cultural differences to further perspective and conquer communication challenges,” the filing states.
At the Ministry of the Interior and General Directorate of Personal Security, Mellor was engaged by Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro, grandson of the recently indicted Cuban leader Raúl Castro, according to another FARA filing and the Bulwark.
According to the filing, Castro and Mellor discussed “informational materials and dissemination,” specifically on social media.
The Bulwark report notes both filings state Mellor has “no agreement or understanding.”
“This suggests that the filings could be meant to circumvent further scrutiny from the Trump administration,” wrote Perticone. “It’s all quite strange.”
For those who need a refresher on what FARA does, Perticone noted its responsibilities have been limited of late.
"Shortly after becoming attorney general early last year," the report states, "Pam Bondi defanged the FARA unit to limit criminal enforcement to 'instances of alleged conduct similar to more traditional espionage by foreign government actors.'"
Mellor, a former aide to President Donald Trump’s one-time national security adviser Michael Flynn, traveled to Cuba in June to meet with Communist Party leaders, USA Today reported at the time.
Mellor insisted he was in no way stepping on the toes of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
“[Rubio’s] been doing an amazing job,” said Mellor. “A conversation isn’t betrayal. We’re having an open dialogue. I don’t see how I could hurt anybody.”
His campaign did not respond to the Bulwark’s request for comment.