In an interview with POLITICO's Mike Allen and Natasha Korecki, Rahm Emanuel gets testy over leaked family vacation plans to Cuba. PLAYBOOK LIVE Emanuel gets heated when Cuba travel plans revealed

Rahm Emanuel laid into POLITICO’s Mike Allen on Wednesday when Allen revealed the Chicago mayor’s plans to vacation in Cuba with his family over the holidays, angrily saying, "I really don't appreciate that."

At the end of a nearly hour-long discussion during POLITICO Illinois' inaugural Playbook Breakfast event, Allen turned to Emanuel in recounting a backstage discussion before the event began.


“We were saying backstage that you want to come back as an Emanuel child. You take your young people on fascinating trips around the world, headed these holidays to Cuba. Why?” POLITICO's senior White House correspondent asked.

Emanuel bristled, responding, “Well, first of all, thanks for telling everybody what I’m going to do with my family."

"You had a private conversation with me and now you decide to make that public. I really don’t appreciate that, for one, I really don’t," the mayor scolded.

"I’m sorry. I didn’t know that wasn’t known," Allen said.

“No, you asked me what are you going to do this year, so I’m expressing to you now publicly my displeasure. My family’s trips are my family," he remarked.

The mayor's office did not immediately respond to a request for further comment.

Emanuel then explained why he and his wife, Amy, take their children on the yearly vacations, emphasizing that it is personal family time.

"It’s something my parents did with me, because I think it’s not only great family time, but most importantly—and it’s a great family time because they don’t have to share me as a mayor but they get to have me totally, 100 percent as their father," he said. "But more importantly, they get to be exposed to other cultures, other parts of the world, and one of the things that we want is for our children to know that the world has people of different faiths, different backgrounds, with different ways of living and coping with similar situations. Our kids have seen other parts of the world."

The Obama administration this year eased travel restrictions to Cuba, and restored formal diplomatic relations with the Communist country.

“And yes, this year, if my wife doesn’t kill me now because of what you just did, we will take our kids to Cuba to be exposed to that culture the same way they’ve been to India and the same way that they have been to Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Chile and Vietnam and Laos. I can’t wait—can you give me your cell number, because I’d like you to listen to Amy," Emanuel told Allen, referencing his wife Amy Rule.

Allen again expressed his apologies.

“I don’t know if you know this: It’s not gonna work," Emanuel said, before Allen wrapped the event, which he co-moderated with POLITICO Illinois' Natasha Korecki, who is based in Chicago.

Following the event, Allen wrote in an email: "Politico's Jake Sherman said it best, on Twitter: 'Of course Rahm - a public figure since 90 - knew he wasn’t going to go to Cuba for Christmas w/o people knowing. Mayor of 3rd largest city!'"

Of course Rahm - a public figure since 90 - knew he wasn’t going to go to Cuba for Christmas w/o people knowing. Mayor of 3rd largest city! — Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) December 2, 2015





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