The Trump administration is urging its European allies to prevent “bigwigs” in socialist Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s inner circle from traveling there, in a move to keep the pressure on the government as it is locked in a power struggle with opposition leader Juan Guaido.
Speaking to reporters Monday afternoon, a senior State Department official said the U.S has asked European nations to stop allowing specific Venezuelan officials to establish bank accounts and purchase homes in their countries.
“There’s something very unseemly about allowing Europe to turn into a kind of resort area for regime bigwigs and their families who have children, wives, mistresses in Europe,” the official said. “The Europeans should not be permitting this.”
The Trump administration last month announced it had revoked the visas of several top Venezuelan officials and their families, who are aligned with Mr. Maduro, for various human rights violations. Mr. Trump repeated Washington’s criticisms of the Maduro regime in his address to the U.N. General Assembly Tuesday.
The U.S. and more than 50 nations recognize Mr. Guaido as the rightful leader of Venezuela, claiming Mr. Maduro’s 2018 reelection campaign was riddled with fraud.
The U.S. government has already sanctioned more than 150 Venezuelan people and entities, revoked visas for some 718 of Mr. Maduro’s associates and instituted measures that have drastically cut Venezuela’s oil exports, a critical source of revenue for the regime.
• Lauren Toms can be reached at lmeier@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.