The White House held a National Security Council principals committee meeting Tuesday with related cabinet agencies to discuss new measures to confront Venezuela President Nicholas Maduro – including sanctions on Venezuela oil.
The opposition in Venezuela has called country-wide protests today against the government expected to attract hundreds of thousands of protestors which we unfortunately believe will trigger a bloody crackdown by Maduro’s regime.
Administration sources tell us that there is a new aggressive US policy in place that will view any harsh missteps by Maduro as catalysts for tough US action.
Last night Trump convened a meeting with Florida’s congressional delegation including Senators Rubio & Scott as well as Governor DeSantis to brief them on upcoming steps the Administration will take. Florida is home to many Hispanic communities, especially Cuban-Americans, who are advocating for tough US action to confront Maduro.
We now believe the Administration has readied a series of actions against the Maduro regime that will be announced as soon as today or in the coming days including:
- Recognize National Assembly President Juan Guaido as the legitimate President of Venezuela (today);
- Announce US sanctions on Venezuela oil likely impacting both exports to the US and elsewhere (similar to Iran sanctions);
- Declare Maduro regime as a State Sponsor of Terrorism, which will likely trigger many US sanctions but will also mean many banks and private companies will cease operations in Venezuela for liability and other exposure concerns.
- Convene a meeting with other similarly minded Latin American leaders in Brazil, Colombia, Argentina among others, to discuss a regional response to confronting Maduro.
We want to be clear on the oil sanctions: it is possible that it will be announced today but more likely to held as a response to Maduro steps in the coming days. It is on the list of options that administration has readied, and we think Trump has approved the new policy.
At a minimum for today, we believe the Administration will recognize Guaido as the legitimate leader of Venezuela which officials tell us could result in a crack down and arrests of Guaido and other opposition leaders. But this action will be viewed by the administration as a catalyst for tougher action (ie oil sanctions).
Vice President Pence is the leader of the administration’s new tougher policy against Maduro. In the last few days, he has personally called Guaido to pledge US support and issued a video on Tuesday telling the Venezuelan people that the US is with them in their protests. Today, Pence has an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal that says the US sees the situation in Venezuela as a humanitarian crisis but also about regional security.
Stay tuned for much more US action on Venezuela in the coming days and weeks.
