Echoing Donald Trump, Nancy Pelosi Backs Coup In Venezuela
In a statement published February 8, echoing President Donald Trump, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi backed the ongoing coup in Venezuela.
“I support the decision of the National Assembly, Venezuela’s sole remaining democratic institution, to recognize Juan Guaidó, President of the National Assembly, as the Interim President until full, fair and free elections can be held.”
On January 23, via Twitter, Donald Trump recognized Venezuelan right-wing opposition leader Juan Guaidó as president.
As previously reported by the Inquisitr, the president’s decision has received unanimous and overwhelming bipartisan support. The impending regime change in the Latin American country — which has the largest amount of proven oil reserves in the world — has been criticized by four serving politicians: Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, Hawaii Representative Tulsi Gabbard, California Representative Ro Khanna, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York.
Pushing back against Trump’s decision — while criticizing Nicolas Maduro’s brutal regime — presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders reminded Americans of some of the disastrous of U.S.-backed coups in Latin America; in Brazil, Chile, Guatemala, and the Dominican Republic.
“We must learn the lessons of the past and not be in the business of regime change or supporting coups,” Sanders wrote.
Following in the United States’ footsteps, a number of countries have recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as president.
On January 26, as the Guardian reported, President Trump appointed Elliott Abrams as special envoy for Venezuela. A neoconservative hardliner, Abrams helped organize a number of coups in Latin America during the 1980s, some of which have resulted in deaths of thousands of civilians.
Abrams was convicted over the Iran-Contra scandal in which the Ronald Reagan administration secretly funded paramilitary groups in Nicaragua. He was subsequently pardoned.
“Elliott will be a true asset to our mission to help the Venezuelan people fully restore democracy and prosperity to their country,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said following Abrams’ appointment, as per Reuters.
U.S. Special Envoy Elliott Abrams Rules Out Negotiations with Maduro https://t.co/RrAWKBLKs0 #Venezuela
— Democracy Now! (@democracynow) February 9, 2019
Echoing Pompeo’s sentiment, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi hailed democracy in Venezuela, arguing that the United States “must respect legitimate democratic processes,” while agreeing with the Trump administration’s position and openly backing a coup.
Along with Trump, Abrams, and Pompeo, notorious neoconservative war-hawk John Bolton — serving as National Security Adviser to President Donald Trump — will be in charge of handling the Venezuela escalation.
Appreciate @SpeakerPelosi‘s strong statement of support. The U.S. stands united in its support of Venezuelan Interim President Juan Guaidó, and of the peaceful, constitutional transition to democracy in Venezuela. https://t.co/slwxPTHwoZ
— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) February 10, 2019
“All options are on the table,” Bolton said when asked about the possibility of the U.S. military intervening in Venezuela, according to RealClearPolitics.
More recently, as Reuters reported, Bolton promised that the U.S. will lift sanctions on any Venezuelan senior military officer who deflects and supports Guaidó.
The seemingly imminent U.S. military intervention in Venezuela appears to enjoy the support of self-proclaimed president Juan Guaidó. As France 24 reported yesterday, Guaidó has refused to rule out the possibility of authorizing a U.S. intervention to help bring President Nicolas Maduro down.
