BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — Venezuela alleged on Wednesday that the U.S. ambassador to Colombia has plotted to destabilize President Nicolas Maduro’s rule, adding to tensions between the two countries as the U.S. House approved a measure calling for sanctions on officials in the South American nation over human rights abuses.

The accusation was the latest in a barrage of attacks by Maduro’s socialist government on the U.S., which Venezuelan leaders contend is behind three months of anti-government protests that have resulted in 42 deaths. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki called the allegation baseless and said such claims are meant to distract Venezuelans from their own government’s failure to address grave economic and social problems.