Democratic New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez re-iterated her opposition to U.S. intervention in Venezuela on Monday, but refused to denounce the regime of Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro.
“I think that this is absolutely a complex issue,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “I think it’s important that we approach this very carefully.”
Ocasio-Cortez said that while she was concerned with humanitarian crisis in the country, she didn’t believe that U.S. intervention would help the Venezuelan people. (RELATED: Ocasio-Cortez Invited To Debate Climate Catastrophe Skeptics. They Even Saved Her A Seat)
“I am very concerned about U.S. interventionism in Venezuela and I oppose it,” Ocasio-Cortez said.
Ocasio-Cortez’s criticism of U.S. policy in Venezuela is not new. She criticized President Donald Trump’s decision to recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as the legitimate president of Venezuela as an example of “American imperialism.” (RELATED: REPORT: Rep. Ocasio-Cortez Has Violated Her Own Green New Deal)
Ocasio-Cortez’s refusal to slam Maduro continues a trend of American self-described “democratic socialists,” refusing to condemn the communist dictator.
2020 presidential candidate and Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders refused to condemn Maduro as a dictator, claiming that there are still “democratic operations” occurring in the country. Democratic Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar echoed those thoughts, while casting doubt on the international consensus that Maduro’s 2018 re-election was undemocratic.