Dem. Rep. Scolds Pence for ‘Inciting Violence’ in Venezuela
Representative Ro Khanna (D., Calif.) chastised Vice President Mike Pence on Tuesday for encouraging anti-government protesters in Venezuela in their efforts to overthrow socialist president Nicolás Maduro.
“The vice president shouldn’t be interfering or inciting violence with Guaidó,” Khanna said during an interview on MSNBC, referring to Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who called on his supporters to overthrow Maduro on Tuesday.
“What we should be doing is deferring to the Pope to have a negotiated settlement or Uruguay or Mexico,” he continued. “It looks like the United States is inching into yet another bloody conflict and this is not going to be easy. Venezuela is one of the most armed nations in the world, 1.6 millions militias [sic]. The military appears divided between Maduro and Guaido and the question is: Is this the United States’s role to get involved in yet another war overseas?”
The Vice President has no place inciting violence in Venezuela. We cannot allow ourselves to contribute toward a civil war abroad. Instead, this is the moment for diplomacy and restraint. pic.twitter.com/A4ZPTPbUDX
— Rep. Ro Khanna (@RepRoKhanna) April 30, 2019
Pence joined a number of senior Trump administration officials in voicing support for the anti-government protesters as they clashed with pro-government forces in the streets of Caracas on Tuesday.
To @jguaido, the National Assembly and all the freedom-loving people of Venezuela who are taking to the streets today in #operacionlibertad—Estamos con ustedes! We are with you! America will stand with you until freedom & democracy are restored. Vayan con dios! #FreeVenezuela
— Vice President Mike Pence (@VP) April 30, 2019
As Khanna noted, the loyalty of the Venezuelan military appears to be divided between Maduro and Guaido, leaving the fate of the nation uncertain.
Pro-government forces have used mostly non-lethal means, including tear gas and rubber bullets, to put down the protests, but they have resorted to lethal violence in some circumstances. One video of the protests shows an armored vehicle accelerating into a crowd of anti-government protesters who breached a barrier near the La Carlota air-force base, where soldiers rebelled to join the opposition Tuesday morning.
🇻🇪 | REBELIÓN EN VENEZUELA: Tanquetas militares arrollan a grupo de manifestantes en Caracas: pic.twitter.com/BLirOAoFkP
— Alerta News 24 (@AlertaNews24) April 30, 2019
Guaido loyalists plan to take the streets again on Wednesday for what their leader has predicted will be “the largest march in Venezuela’s history” and part of the “definitive phase” of his government takeover. Guaido, who declared himself interim president of the country earlier this year, has said he will hold new elections once Maduro is vanquished.
