Rep. Soto Opposes Negotiating with Venezuela

President Joe Biden (D) faces an inflation crisis and gas price hike that has costed his administration in a big way. Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, it has felt as though the White House has been on defense. In an effort to relieve some of the effects of the soaring gas prices and scarcity of oil, the Biden administration has begun to ease restrictions on Venezuelan oil, which is controlled by dictator Nicolas Maduro.

Rep. Darren Soto (D-FL) has gone against this move by President Biden, calling Maduro in a tweet “murderous” and someone that “cannot be trusted.”

“Working with murderous Dictator Maduro has long been a tragic mistake. He has shown time & time again he cannot be trusted. I oppose any concession to restart negotiations without support from President Guiado (Guaido) & the opposition party. #VenezuelaLibre!”

According to the State Department in early January, the United States recognizes “the authority of democratically elected 2015 National Assembly as the last remaining democratic institution and Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s interim president…The United States supports the Venezuelan people in their desire for a peaceful restoration of democracy through free and fair elections. The Maduro regime’s pattern of political repression, rampant human rights abuses, as well as severe restrictions on political and civil society actors and freedom of expression have robbed the Venezuelan people of democratic self-determination.”

It appears the State Department and Darren Soto were on the same page 5 months ago. It does not appear that way anymore.