Key facts
- Uthmeier said the subpoena seeks records on whether DSA accepted contributions or support from Cuba and China.
- The inquiry also examines whether DSA fundraising from Florida donors met state transparency and charitable solicitation rules.
- Uthmeier said investigators are reviewing DSA delegations to Cuba and China and travel solicitations seeking tens of thousands of dollars.
- A DSA spokesperson told Newsweek the group was aware of the subpoena and declined to comment further.
- Uthmeier's office has not publicly established that either government financed DSA or its delegations, per Newsweek.
- The full subpoena has not been made public, and the records it demands are not known.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced on November 10, 2026 that his office issued an investigative subpoena to the Democratic Socialists of America, seeking to establish whether the group accepted money or other support from the governments of Cuba and China. Uthmeier announced the move in a video posted on social media and repeated the scope in comments to Newsweek.
Uthmeier said the inquiry covers whether DSA "accepted contributions or support from foreign sources of concern, including the regimes in Cuba and China," and whether its fundraising from Florida donors was fully transparent and lawful. He said investigators are also reviewing recent DSA delegations to Cuba and China and "travel fund solicitations that sought tens of thousands of dollars to cover costs for those trips, and related activities involving Florida chapters."
According to DSA's International Committee, a delegation of about 40 members visited Cuba in October 2025, touring schools and hospitals, delivering educational and medical supplies and meeting Cuban government representatives including Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos de Cossio. In January 2026, DSA National Political Committee member Christian Araos announced the Venceremos Fund to help members finance international delegations, writing in DSA publication Democratic Left that more than 200 members had applied for a second Havana delegation that could accommodate only 40.
Newsweek reported that Uthmeier's office has not publicly established that either government directly financed DSA or its delegations, and that it remains unclear which financial records, donor information or communications the subpoena demands. The full subpoena has not been made public. A DSA spokesperson told Newsweek the group was aware of the subpoena and declined to comment further.
Uthmeier cited Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act as providing investigative authority, including the power to subpoena records and witnesses. CiberCuba reported that section 496.415 of the Florida Statutes bars soliciting or accepting contributions from foreign sources of concern in covered fundraising, and that Uthmeier's announcement does not amount to a criminal accusation.