Tulsi Gabbard’s 2019 Post Urging US To Stay Out Of Venezuela Resurfaces After Maduro’s Capture
A 2019 social media post by US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard opposing American intervention in Venezuela has resurfaced now.
An old post on X by US Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard urging the United States to stay out of Venezuela has resurfaced after the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro by American forces on Saturday, Jan. 3.
Outside government, during US President Donald Trump’s first term, Gabbard had criticised advocates of regime change in Venezuela in 2019. Writing on X, then Twitter, on Jan. 25, 2019, she said, “The United States needs to stay out of Venezuela. Let the Venezuelan people determine their future. We don't want other countries to choose our leaders--so we have to stop trying to choose theirs.”
The post has gone viral again after the US military operation in Venezuela that led to Maduro’s arrest and the bombing of several locations across the Latin American country.
In another post, on Jan. 29, 2019, Gabbard wrote, “It’s about the oil ... again.”
Silence From Gabbard After US Operation
This time, Gabbard is yet to comment publicly on the operation to remove Maduro from power, more than two days after US President Donald Trump approved the mission that resulted in the Venezuelan President’s capture.
Her silence has surprised some within the US intelligence community, which had laid the groundwork for the mission over several months and had assets on the ground in Venezuela as the operation unfolded, the Los Angeles Times reported. Gabbard, a native of Hawaii, rose to prominence as a member of Congress by campaigning against “regime change wars,” particularly the US war in Iraq that toppled Saddam Hussein.
Social Media Reacts To Gabbard’s 2019 Post
Tulsi Gabbard’s old post, following the latest US action in Venezuela, has not gone unnoticed, with social media users calling her out over her stance in 2019.
One user wrote that the comment “didn’t age well.”
Another asked, “Why are you silent now?”
Taking a sarcastic swipe, one user wrote, “Thanks for speaking out. I’m sure the US will take your point and stay out of Venezuela.”
“Gabbard never had principles to begin with. Her so-called anti-interventionist, pro-peace stance was always a branding strategy, not an actual moral position,” another user commented.
Another post read, “Too bad this was almost 7 years ago. Where is she now??” questioning why Gabbard has not commented following the US military action in Venezuela.
US Detains Maduro
The United States has detained Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro following airstrikes on the South American nation on Jan. 3. Trump has said that the US will assume control of the oil-rich country. Meanwhile, members of Maduro’s administration who remain in Caracas have pledged to stand firmly behind him. Senior officials in Maduro’s government continue to hold authority within Venezuela.
Following US strikes on Venezuela on Jan. 3, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were taken into custody and transported to New York. Maduro is currently being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. Trump has said that both Maduro and his wife have been indicted in the Southern District of New York on alleged “drug trafficking and narco-terrorism conspiracies” and will face trial on those charges.
