Venezuela is in chaos with 35-year-old opposition leader Juan Guaidó recently appointing himself interim president after declaring the Nicolas Maduro presidency illegitimate.

The U.S., Canada, and other regional countries supported
Guaidó’s claim. There have been protests, starvation and deaths with no end in sight.

Listen to GHOGH with Jamarlin Martin | Episode 38: Tony Effik
Jamarlin talks to Tony Effik, SVP of Client Strategy at NBCUniversal, about where the digital media business is going. Tony talks about directing strategy across the largest multi-billion dollar media portfolio, opportunities with subscriptions, and the business of podcasting.

What should the U.S. do?

During a Jan. 25 interview with ultra-conservative pundit Ann Coulter, pro-war liberal pundit Bill Maher said he endorsed the U.S.-led right-wing coup in Venezuela.

Maher even backed the Russiagate conspiracy that Trump “is working with a foreign adversary.” He claimed “the president is a traitor who is in their camp.”

Maher pointed to the ongoing coup in Venezuela, where the U.S. and its right-wing allies are trying to overthrow the leftist government of Maduro and replace him with an unelected opposition leader who hopes to implement “neoliberal capitalist policies and privatize the oil-rich country’s state assets,”  The Grayzone Project reported.

Maher said, “OK, they have a guy, an opposition leader who finally stood up, and we are backing him. And Russia warned us to back off because they’re backing the dictator. This was the Monroe Doctrine! This is our backyard! And Russia is now telling us to back off of what goes on in Venezuela, because they know they can? Because they’re so emboldened? That doesn’t bother you? You’re the patriot?”

In Venezuela, senior leaders claim Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and the CIA are plotting to oust Maduro.

“With their country descending into crisis, Foreign Minister Samuel Moncada and Carlos Ron, the chargé d’affaires of the Embassy of Venezuela, accused Rubio and CIA Director Mike Pompeo of secretly conspiring against Caracas so that Washington can install new leaders amenable to U.S. interests,” the Miami Herald reported.

“What this group is trying to do with Venezuela is basically divide the government, recognize other leaders and foment a conflict with the Venezuelans,” Ron told reporters in DC. “This is absolutely unacceptable.”

Venezuelan officials, including interim Ambassador to the Organization of American States Carmen Velasquez spoke with reporters in DC, criticizing U.S. threats of sanctions targeting Venezuelan oil if the vote isn’t canceled.

“There is a secret operation by the Central Intelligence Agency to split up a democratically elected government,” Moncada said.

The CIA declined to comment.

Wow. Cruise missile liberal Bill Maher went full-on neocolonialist in his latest interview with white-nationalist Ann Coulter:
Maher praised the US-backed right-wing coup in Venezuela and declared "This is our backyard!", citing the imperialist Monroe Doctrine of 1823 pic.twitter.com/7iLFU5nwQp

— Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) January 26, 2019