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U.S. Secretary of State Calls Venezuelan President “Illegitimate”

HeadlineJan 25, 2019

The State Department has ordered all non-emergency government employees to leave Venezuela, after the Trump administration said it would no longer recognize Venezuela’s elected president, Nicolás Maduro, and will instead recognize opposition leader Juan Guaidó. The partial evacuation came as Maduro said he’s closing the Venezuelan Embassy in the U.S. and ordered all U.S. diplomatic personnel to leave Venezuela by Sunday. Meanwhile, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo called Thursday for all members of the Organization of American States to recognize Guaidó as interim president. Pompeo was speaking at an OAS meeting in Washington, D.C.

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo: “The time for debate is done. The regime of former President Nicolás Maduro is illegitimate. His regime is morally bankrupt. It’s economically incompetent. And it is profoundly corrupt. It is undemocratic to the core.”

Pompeo’s speech was interrupted by CodePink protester Medea Benjamin, who held up a sign saying ”OAS: Don’t Support a Coup in Venezuela,” and declared, “A coup is not a democratic transition! Do not listen to Secretary Pompeo!” before being forcibly removed by security guards. After headlines, Medea Benjamin will join us for a roundtable discussion on the crisis in Venezuela.

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