Venezuela has soaring inflation, tremendous food shortages, and an increasingly unstable and unpopular government. One would assume Venezuela is almost completely consumed with internal problems. Yet the White House now views them as dangerous and somehow ready to come sneaking across our borders to raise havoc.
The Obama Administration has imposed sanctions against seven Venezuelan officials, something which could lead to full sanctions against the entire country. I’m not sure which is more absurd. Maduro of Venezuela saying their food shortages are entirely due to scheming imperialists or Obama calling them a national security threat. Just what, specifically, is the threat here?
If the US actually wants to help the people of Venezuela, most of whom no doubt just want to be able to get on with their lives and not wait in lines endlessly and be fingerprinted when buying food, then threatening to sanction the entire country is precisely the wrong way to do it.
The White House said the executive order targeted people whose actions undermined democratic processes or institutions, had committed acts of violence or abuse of human rights, were involved in prohibiting or penalizing freedom of expression, or were government officials involved in public corruption.
Um, this could also apply to any number of White House appointees. Do you suppose Obama will sanction them too?