Rubio, Scott Introduce Bill Targeting Venezuela’s Maduro

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) who has been a vociferous critic of the Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, joined fellow Florida GOP Senator Rick Scott in introducing the Banning Operations and Leases with the Illegitimate Venezuelan Authoritarian Regime (BOLIVAR) Act, which bans federal agencies from doing business with anyone supporting the Maduro regime.

Scott introduced the bill. Rubio is the Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Western Hemisphere, Transnational Crime, Civilian Security, Democracy, Human Rights, and Global Women’s Issues. They were joined by Senators Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Thom Tillis (R-NC),

Rubio stated: “Amid the man-made crisis caused by narco-dictator Nicolás Maduro and his cronies, we must ensure American federal agencies do not award governmental contracts to any companies linked to the Maduro regime. I’m proud to join Senator Scott and my colleagues, in introducing this bicameral legislation, which will ensure taxpayer dollars are not providing a lifeline to a murderous and criminal dictatorship in our region.”

“Nicolas Maduro is committing a genocide against the people of Venezuela,” Scott asserted. “Not one cent of U.S. taxpayer money can be used to prop up this murderous regime. As Governor, I strictly prohibited the State of Florida, including all state agencies, from investing in any company that is doing business with Maduro’s oppressive government. Today, I’m proud to lead my colleagues and continue this important work to prohibit all federal agencies from doing business with anyone that supports Maduro. We can’t stand by and let this crisis continue, and that starts with restricting the money Maduro uses to hold onto power. I hope all of my colleagues will join us as we work to support those fighting for freedom and an end to Maduro’s ruthless regime.”

“No federal agency should ever conduct business with anyone that supports Venezuelan Dictator Nicolas Maduro or his vile and oppressive regime,” Tillis said. “This commonsense legislation is necessary to preserve future negations should further restrictions or sanctions be needed. The United States must continue to advocate against brutality and injustice, and this begins with preventing American dollars from aiding Maduro’s regime.”

The BOLIVAR Act states that it would “prohibit contracting with persons that have business operations with the Maduro regime, and for other purposes. … The prohibition under subsection (a) does not apply to a contract that the Secretary of State determines is necessary for purposes of providing humanitarian assistance to the people of Venezuela; for purposes of providing disaster relief and other urgent life-saving measures; or to carry out noncombatant evacuations; or is in the national security interests of the United States.”

In August 2017, The Daily Wire reported on rumors that a figure connected to Maduro’s government might have ordered Rubio’s assassination:

According to Patricia Mazzei of the Miami Herald, Diosdado Cabello Rondon, a drug lord and an influential figure within Nicolas Maduro’s Venezuelan government, may have placed a hit order on Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL).

The death threat was outlined in a memo to several law enforcement agencies disseminated last month by the Department of Homeland Security. …

The memo revealed an “order to have Senator Rubio assassinated,” though it also warned that “no specific information regarding an assassination plot against Senator Rubio has been garnered thus far” and that the U.S. had not been able to verify the threat. That Cabello has been a vocal Rubio critic in Venezuelan media was also noted, a sign federal authorities are well aware of the political bluster complicating the situation.

Politico also obtained the memo, and in a piece published Sunday quoted a disturbing passage:

Cabello Rondon did indeed issue an order… to have Senator Rubio assassinated. … Cabello Rondon was communicating with unspecified Mexican nationals in furtherance of the matter.

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