Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) is once again under fire, this time for arguing that U.S. sanctions are to blame for the collapse of Venezuela under illegitimate dictator Nicolás Maduro.
She continued, “This particular bullying and the use of sanctions to eventually intervene and make regime change really does not help the people of countries like Venezuela, and it certainly does not help and is not in the interest of the United States.”
The socialist South American country has spiraled into humanitarian, economic, and political chaos after Maduro refused to step down under mounting international pressure. In mid-January, Venezuela’s duly elected National Assembly declared Maduro’s presidency illegitimate due to a fraudulent election and instead swore in Juan Guaidó as the interim president. But Maduro has refused to give up control.
Omar received heavy backlash for her comments, with many taking to social media to condemn the freshman congresswoman.
Vice President Mike Pence expressed his disbelief that Omar had chosen “socialism over freedom.”
Similarly, the former Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Herman Cain said, “Here we have a currently-serving Democrat, a woman they champion and place on the covers of their lapdog magazines, and she’s actually trying to deflect blame from a murderous dictator and place it on her own country.”
John Cooper, the senior communications manager of National Security and Foreign Policy at the Heritage Foundation, also shared similar views.
Omar previously denounced President Donald Trump’s support for Guaidó, calling the interim president’s party “far-right” and their fight against Maduro, a “coup,” even though Maduro is considered illegitimate by many nations.
“A US backed coup in Venezuela is not a solution to the dire issues they face. Trump’s efforts to install a far right opposition will only incite violence and further destabilize the region,” Omar said on Twitter, on Jan. 24.
Moreover, Omar attacked the U.S. special envoy to Venezuela Elliott Abrams in February during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, saying that she didn’t trust him and then wouldn’t permit him to reply.