Thread by @rosendo_joe

As the world can see, with more clarity while @covid19
spreads, US economic sanctions & military threats against Venezuela are barbaric & criminal. So faced w/ new pressure to lift them, Trump & fellow gangsters ramp threats against Venezuela thru indictments THREAD.

The DOJ helpfully put the docs here
justice.gov/opa/documents-…
along with Wild West-style graphics that seem to be inspired from the US-backed dictatorship in #Bolivia [2]

First doc
justice.gov/opa/page/file/…
accuses some CEO's of illegal exporting military aircraft parts to Venezuela despite regulation that says US presidents (since 2006) have declared that Venezuela "not cooperating full" with US anti-terrorism efforts [3]

Seriously? US anti-terrorism efforts? US government has been arming Al-Qaeda affiliates in Syria for years. Never mind that the US government has always terrorized the world using its military & economic might - & gives allies like Israel & Saudi Arabia license to do the same.[4

2nd doc
justice.gov/opa/page/file/…
Very vague. Accuses Venezuela's top military man of conspiracy to traffic more than 5 kg of cocaine using an aircraft "registered to the US" [5]

3rd doc
justice.gov/opa/page/file/…
Accuses a Venezuela Supreme Court judge of using US financial system to deposit money he acquired thru bribes. Could be true. Could be false. Who in their right mind trusts the US judiciary to sort it out? Foreign policy is very BIPARTISAN [6]

The US judiciary has always been stacked by 2 parties that only have narrow tactical disputes over foreign policy. Both are totally committed to ruling the world by force. Trump merely extended & intensified Obama's 2015 executive order declaring Vnzla "extraordinary threat" [7]

Sadly, the US has also often been successful bullying/coopting int'l courts & orgs. Pompeo openly threatened ICC judges if they proceed with prosecution of US troops for war crimes. Hans Blix (we should recall) never had the guts bluntly dismiss the US WMD fraud in Iraq.[8]

Then there is ample evidence that US & top western allies managed to get the OPCW to do a sham technical report in Syria to justify Trump's airstrikes in 2018
thegrayzone.com/2020/03/12/opc…
[9]

An even when a country like Venezuela has success at the int'l level (like when Maduro's government was voted onto the UN human rights Council by General Assembly in Oct/19 despite fierce US opposition) or when Nicaragua got World Court to rule against the US in 1986, ...[10]

The US can simply thumb its nose at any defeat so US criminals are NEVER held accountable. In 1986 rather than pay reparations to Nicaragua for acts of terrorism, the US intensified them. Elliott Abrams was a key official responsible then AS HE IS NOW! [11]

4th doc
justice.gov/opa/page/file/…
Accuses former Venezuela government officials of stashing bribes & kickbacks in the US financial system. Easy to see how size of US financial system becomes a tool for US to appoint itself Global Prosecutor. [12]

Countries like Venezuela can't play Global Prosecutor even tho they have ample grounds to prosecute US officials for grave crimes. They have to appeal to int'l orgs &, even when they win, deal with the fact that the world's most powerful gangsters can just ignore the law.[13]

5th doc
Alleges 2 Venezuela drug enforcement officials of being corrupt & therefore increased drug exports to the US. Very easy to see how Venezuelan prosecutors (with 1000X more cause) could formulate charges against US officials for aiding/abetting crimes in Vnzla.[14]

Last point applies to countless countries that have suffered US-backed coups, violence & economic sabotage. Why did Nicaragua go to the World Court in 1986? Why not have its own prosecutors issue charges against US officials & offer reward for their capture? [15]

Last question rhetorical. Answer obvious. Only US gets to play Global Prosecutor.
6th doc
justice.gov/opa/page/file/…
Says 2 Venezuela National Guard officers were involved with unlawful acts that resulted in drugs being imported into US. Language a bit convoluted [16]

7th doc
justice.gov/opa/page/file/…
Accuses several top officials, including Maduro, of conspiring since 1999 with a drug cartel & the FARC to use drugs "as a weapon against America". Bonkers. Also says Chavez was a leader of the cartel[17]

8th doc
justice.gov/opa/page/file/…
Says Tareck El Aissami conspired to evade US sanctions - as if they were int'l law or some shit. Refers to the wacko presidential executive order declaring Venezuela an "extraordinary threat" to the US.[18]

9th doc
justice.gov/opa/page/file/…
Alleges bribery & kickbacks PDVSA (Vnzla state oil company) officials & uses "dual US citizenship" of 1 accused, use of US-based companies etc.. to claim US jurisdiction [19]

Worth noting that the US is often NOT AT ALL eager to claim US jurisdiction in cases involving US-based entities. For example Texaco (later Chevron) fought for 9 years, successfully, to get US courts to kick a lawsuit over environmental crimes back to Ecuador. [20]