On Tuesday, the State Department defended the top climate envoy of the Biden administration, John Kerry’s handshake with alleged narco-terrorist Nicolas Maduro as an “unplanned contact.”
At the COP27 United Nations climate summit in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt, former Secretary of State John Kerry briefly chatted with Venezuela’s ex-president Nicolas Maduro. Because the U.S. government has charged Maduro with narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, and possessing dangerous weapons, the brief but amicable encounter raised eyebrows on social media.
After Kerry oversaw the State Department under President Obama from 2013 to 2017, he announced a $15 million prize in 2020 for information leading to Maduro’s imprisonment.
“Concerning the exchange, it was completely unplanned. It lacked any real substance, too. “This, Price said. “A shock arose and took [Kerry] off guard. I’ve heard that Nicolas Maduro has done this to several other heads of state.”
Florida Republican Rep. Maria Salazar tweeted about the meeting, accusing Maduro of “desperately seeking support” in a Spanish-language post.
Price suggested that lifelong environmentalist Kerry would have little motivation to be close with Maduro due to the latter’s dismal record on environmental preservation more than his narco-terrorism involvement.
Sadly, “Maduro has supervised a period of severe environmental damage, the destruction of the Amazon via deforestation, oil spills, and illicit mining,” as Price put it. In addition, we think it’s best for the whole region if these kinds of things stop.
The State Department has claimed that Maduro came to power as the head of the Cartel of the Suns. An “Organization of high-ranking Venezuelan officials involved in drug trafficking.”
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) is a foreign terrorist organization, and Maduro “gained power in Venezuela through a corrupt and murderous narco-terrorism collaboration with them.”
The State Department has asked that anybody with knowledge of Maduro’s location “call the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate.” Kerry spoke with Maduro for about 20 seconds while in Egypt.
Vice President Biden will spend the weekend in Egypt (where he will participate in the COP27) before heading to Cambodia and Indonesia.