President Nicolás Maduro stated that it is no surprise that the United States government has ordered the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to intervene in Venezuela. What is surprising is that it has done so publicly for the first time.
"The US government decided to send the CIA to Venezuela... against the peace of Venezuela. They've always done so, but no previous US government has ever publicly stated that they sent the CIA to kill, overthrow, and destroy countries," the president said at an event celebrating Food Day.
Maduro recounted the coups sponsored by the US and the CIA in Latin American countries such as Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, Brazil, Chile, and Nicaragua, to name a few. He said the declassified documents from the intelligence agency prove this.
"Over time, the CIA apologized for the coups d'état, because we said those presidents were communists, but as time went on, we realized it was a lie... What do you call that? Immorality," the president said.
The president called for a fight against "this crude and gross interventionist policy of regime change" that the US is pursuing against Venezuela, adding that "no one can believe that the CIA hasn't been operating in Venezuela for 26 years, against Commander Chávez and me."
He recalled that earlier this year, the government exchanged Venezuelans kidnapped in the US for "convicted and confessed American terrorists," demonstrating that they continue to work to overthrow the government.
"The idea is to divide, intimidate, and demoralize the people. They want to harm the country, but the people don't give a damn. The people are willing to continue defending their homeland, to continue defending the truth of Venezuela," the president said.
