Venezuela rejects Trump’s comments

Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela

Venezuela’s government energetically rejected U.S. President Donald Trump’s talk of a potential “military option” to resolve the country’s political crisis Saturday, calling it the most egregious act of belligerence against Venezuela in a century and a threat to stability in the region.

The stinging rebuke came in a statement read by Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza in a meeting with foreign diplomats, including Lee McClenny, the top diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in Caracas.

Calling Trump the “boss of the empire,” Arreaza said Trump’s latest comments fit a pattern of aggression against Venezuelan sovereignty and constitute a violation of international law and the U.N. charter.

He said they were particularly menacing given President Nicolas Maduro’s renewed call this week for closer ties and request for a meeting with Trump at the U.N. General Assembly next month.

The White House responded to that request by saying Trump would “gladly speak with the leader of Venezuela as soon as democracy is restored in that country.”

Speaking to reporters Friday at his golf club in Bedminster, N.J., Trump bemoaned the South American nation’s growing humanitarian crisis and declared that all options remain on the table – including a potential military intervention.

“We have many options for Venezuela and, by the way, I’m not going to rule out a military option,” Trump volunteered, adding that “a military operation is certainly something that we could pursue.”

The comment marked a serious escalation in rhetoric for the United States and threatened to undermine Washington’s efforts to rally regional support to isolate Maduro.

Vice President Mike Pence kicks off a four-nation tour of Latin America today with a stop in Colombia.