Salazar Questions Blinken Over Venezuela, Colombia, and Cuba

Secretary of State Antony Blinken faced questions this week at a House Foreign Relations Committee hearing. Florida Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar (R) questioned Secretary Blinken of state over Venezuela, Colombia, and Cuba.

The Florida Republican questioned if the Biden Administration planned to cancel the oil licenses of international companies that are operating in Venezuela before January 10^th, 2025. The date is significant because it is the day that Nicolas Maduro plans to be sworn in as the next president. Eduardo Gonzalez Urrutia, the opposition leader who won the presidential election in July, has announced that he will travel to Venezuela on the same day to be sworn in as the “elected president,” so tension is expected to be high.

Responding to the inquiry, Secretary Blinken noted that he couldn’t provide an answer, and that he would follow up with Rep. Salazar’s office. When pressed over formally announcing that the U.S. would be canceling the oil licenses of international companies, the secretary of state instead affirmed that the U.S. supports Gonzalez Urrutia, and that it will continue to share a message about the abuse of the democratic system in Venezuela.

Rep. Salazar also questioned Secretary Blinken over the request for a presidential pardon made by Colombian President Gustavo Petro. President Petro requested that President Joe Biden (D) grant a Presidential Pardon to convicted FARC terrorist leader Simón Trinidad, who is currently serving a 60-year sentence in the United States federal prison for having kidnapped three American citizens.

Secretary Blinken shared that he wasn’t “aware” of the request to pardon Trinidad and that he would follow up with Rep. Salazar. When pressed by the Florida Republican over the possibility of the pardon going through the State Department, Secretary Blinken responded with “I have to make sure that I’m fully informed.”

“If there is something, I want to see it, understand it, and read it.”

Another topic of contention regarding foreign policy has been the idea of removing Cuba from the list of State Sponsors of Terrorism. When asked if Cuba is under review for removal before the inauguration of President Donald Trump (R), Secretary Blinken suggested that no changes would be made.

“I don’t anticipate any changes in our policy toward Cuba,” he said.

However, Rep. Salazar pressed the secretary Cuba possibly being under review from removal, but Secretary Blinken reiterated that “under the law, depending on the different authorities of this kind, some mandate a regular review, other don’t. All I can tell you right now, sitting here today, is I don’t anticipate any changes in our policy.”