As promised, here are the key points from US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has spoken to US media outlets this morning.

  • This is “not a war against Venezuela”, he says - this follows strikes on the country on Saturday and the extraction of its president, Nicolás Maduro
  • The US will judge Venezuela by “what they do” next, Rubio says, adding that Washington will keep “multiple levers of leverage” to protect its interests
  • Speaking to ABC, Rubio says congressional authorisation wasn’t needed before the operation “because this wasn’t an invasion”
  • He says that he hopes Maduro’s removal will lead to “a better Venezuela”, but adds that the “number one objective is America”
  • Asked whether he thinks Interim President Delcy Rodríguez is now the legitimate president of Venezuela, he says the US does not believe the regime is legitimate
  • Ooops@feddit.org
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    105
    ·
    3 months ago

    US not at war with Venezuela

    Sure. And Russia is not at war with Ukraine…

    Israel is not at war with Palestinians…

    And most importantly: Lying propagandists are totally not at war with reality and truth.

  • ceenote@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    92
    ·
    3 months ago

    I guess the term “act of war” becomes meaningless when the act is done by someone nobody will hold accountable.

      • chaogomu@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        37
        ·
        3 months ago

        Far earlier than that. Look up the career, and post career, of Smedly Buttler. He was a marine commander who publicly spoke out about how he had been used as a thug for capitalism.

        Particularly in the creation of Banana Republics.

        Prescott Bush tried to use Buttler to overthrow FDR, but Buttler went to Congress and reported the plot. Nothing was ever done and then we got two Bush presidents.

  • TheDemonBuer@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    44
    ·
    3 months ago

    It’s regime change. Again. We’ve engaged in regime change many, many times in South and Central America (as well as other parts of the world) over the years, through various methods. This is, once again, the US asserting what it believes to be its “right” to rule over all of the Americas.

  • Eldritch@piefed.world
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    37
    ·
    3 months ago

    They take him to New York of all places. Not just completely out of the southern hemisphere, but almost to the most northern point of the United States. Just to be in Mamdani’s location, as a bullying snipe. Fuck these fascists.

    • SolarMonkey@slrpnk.net
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      10
      ·
      3 months ago

      Just to be in Mamdani’s location, as a bullying snipe.

      Can you explain what you mean by this? I’m not sure I understand how this is anything to do with Mamdani.

      • Eldritch@piefed.world
        link
        fedilink
        English
        arrow-up
        10
        ·
        3 months ago

        Why not hold him at a military base or anywhere else. Is there a legitimate reason for NY etc. Or is this anything more than a bullying show of power. That trump can do this and dump him of in Mamdani’s back yard with no repercussion. He’s a petulant man child. Maybe there’s a minimally legitimate reason for this. But you know he’s definitely childishly enjoying it for other reasons too.

        • Optional@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          12
          ·
          3 months ago

          It is subservient to trump. Former Giuliani office. Scandal-plagued.

          The Southern District of New York (SDNY) has faced significant scrutiny due to various scandals, including high-profile resignations of top officials and ongoing investigations into corruption and misconduct. Recent events have drawn comparisons to historical moments in the DOJ, highlighting the challenges and controversies within the district.

           ABC7 New York Wikipedia

          Overview of the SDNY Scandal

          The Southern District of New York (SDNY) has recently faced significant turmoil, leading to a series of high-profile resignations and investigations. This situation has been referred to as the “Thursday Afternoon Massacre,” drawing parallels to the historical “Saturday Night Massacre” during the Watergate scandal.

          Key Events

          Resignations

          • Several top officials within the Public Integrity Section of the SDNY have resigned.
          • This mass resignation has raised concerns about the future of ongoing investigations, including a notable case involving New York City Mayor Eric Adams.

          Investigations

          • The SDNY is currently dealing with multiple cases, including allegations of bribery and campaign finance violations involving public officials.
          • A recent case involves Joshua Wander, co-founder of 777 Partners, charged with a $500 million fraud scheme, highlighting issues of financial misconduct within the district.

          Implications

          The fallout from these events has created uncertainty regarding the SDNY’s ability to effectively pursue its investigations. The directive from Washington, D.C., to drop the Adams case has particularly drawn attention, as it limits the district’s options moving forward. The situation continues to evolve, with potential impacts on public trust and the integrity of the judicial process in the region.

          • Eldritch@piefed.world
            link
            fedilink
            English
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            3 months ago

            Oh, LOL. Well, yeah, I thought you were implying there was some legitimate reason for them to be there though. But yes, ACAB and all of course.

  • Ashenlux
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    37
    ·
    3 months ago

    Oh. I see. We are not at war. We are only bombing them, stealing their oil, and kidnapping their leader. Those are totally just friendly things normal countries do to each other.

    • vortic@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      3 months ago

      Can you imagine a world where abducting Trump wasn’t seen as an actor of war by just about everyone in the US? I wouldn’t be upset to see Trump hung as a traitor, but if Canada came in and abducted him, I’m fairly sure I’d see it as a breech of our sovereignty. I’d actually be pretty conflicted at that point…

  • NotSteve_@piefed.ca
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    19
    ·
    3 months ago

    The US will judge Venezuela by “what they do” next, Rubio says, adding that Washington will keep “multiple levers of leverage” to protect its interests

    Well that’s a threat. I’m sure he means that the country’s population should just bend over for the US so that American oil companies can come in unimpeded.

    Fuck the USA

    He says that he hopes Maduro’s removal will lead to “a better Venezuela”, but adds that the "number one objective is America

    Right.

  • gAlienLifeform@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    14
    ·
    3 months ago

    “levers of leverage,” running 32 separate instances of euphemism.exe simultaneously is making Marco-bot glitchy

  • saimen@feddit.org
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    11
    ·
    3 months ago

    Either you are at war or you just murdered over 80 people only to capture one drug dealer and his wife. Which one is it?

    • hume_lemmy@lemmy.ca
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      3 months ago

      “Non-Americans aren’t people” is probably the unspoken answer to that. Of course, there’s a large swath of Americans they don’t consider people either.

  • prole
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    11
    ·
    3 months ago

    Rubio is a fucking war criminal. What the fuck happened to that guy? He was never a bastion of morality or anything, but over the past year, he’s completely transformed into a monster.

    • pjwestin@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      7
      ·
      3 months ago

      He’s always been a bloodthirsty neocon with a fetish for regime change in Latin America. The Trump administration is just freeing him of the pretense of civility. Wait until they get to Cuba; he’ll be demanding we make them a U.S. territory to, “free,” them from communism.