Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-NY, declined to denounce Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro Monday, instead criticizing U.S. interventionism.
“I think that this is absolutely a complex issue. I think it’s important that we approach this very carefully,” Ocasio-Cortez said when asked whether she would denounce Maduro. “Myself, just like anyone else, is absolutely concerned with the humanitarian crises that’s happening, and I think it’s important that any solution we have centers the Venezuelan people and centers the democracy of the Venezuelan people first. I am very concerned about U.S. interventionism in Venezuela, and I oppose it, especially when we talk about a figure like U.S. Special Envoy Elliott Abrams here. He’s pled guilty to several crimes related to Iran-Contra. I am generally opposed to U.S. interventionism as a principle, but particularly under this administration and under his leadership I think it’s a profound mistake.”
