Lie #1: The conflict between the U.S. and Venezuela is about drug smuggling
The truth: Trump is trying to start another war for oil. According to the United Nations and every other independent agency, Venezuela is not a major producer of drugs and the Caribbean is not a major route for drug trafficking into the United States. The U.S. government has not presented any evidence that the people they’ve killed while bombing boats were drug smugglers – the Pentagon has simply appointed itself judge, jury and executioner in international waters. What Venezuela does have is the largest oil reserves in the world, which used to be controlled by U.S. corporations until the country’s socialist government came into office.
Lie #2: Venezuela’s president leads a drug trafficking gang
The truth: The “Cartel de Soles” gang that Trump says Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is the leader of does not exist. Every year, the DEA publishes a “National Drug Threat Assessment” that reports on the major cartels involved in smuggling drugs into the United States. If a foreign head of state led a drug trafficking organization, wouldn’t that at least merit a passing mention in the DEA’s big report? But “Cartel de Soles” is not included because the Trump administration simply made it up when they decided to initiate military action against Venezuela. It’s just like the “weapons of mass destruction” lie the Bush administration used to justify invading Iraq.
Lie #3: Venezuela is sending criminals to the United States
The truth: Large numbers of people have left Venezuela in recent years because of an economic crisis caused by sanctions imposed by the U.S. government. Venezuela’s economy largely depends on selling oil around the world. As part of an effort to overthrow the Venezuelan government, the United States for years has done everything it can to prevent Venezuela from exporting oil, or doing almost any other kind of international trade too. Venezuelans who leave their country are not criminals, they are simply trying to survive and provide for their families amid hardship imposed on them by the U.S. government.
Feature image: D.C. activists protest outside of the Washington Post office for its coverage of Venezuela in 2024. Credit: Liberation photo
