‘A Major Disinformation Campaign’: U.S. Denies Involvement in Alleged Venezuelan Coup

The U.S. government has denied involvement in a failed coup against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro that resulted in the capture of a pair of former U.S. Special Forces soldiers.“The United States government is fully and completely involved in this defeated raid,” Maduro said at a press conference following the raid, in which he brandished the U.S. passport of Luke Denman, 34, and Airan Berry, 41, who were captured with six other men.President Trump said Tuesday that the attack “has nothing to do with our government,” and a State department spokesperson elaborated further, saying Maduro’s claims were part of a “major disinformation campaign.”"The record of falsehoods and manipulation by Maduro and his accomplices, as well as their highly questionable representation of the details, argues that nothing should be taken at face value when we see the distorting of facts,” the spokesperson said.Former Green Beret Jordan Goudreau claimed responsibility for orchestrating the raid, called “Operation Gideon,” with just 60 fighters, including Denman and Berry.“A daring amphibious raid was launched from the border of Colombia deep into the heart of Caracas,” Goudreau, who runs his own private security company, Silvercorp USA, told Miami-based journalist Patricia Poleo. He said that his mission had been initially backed by Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaidó, and provided an alleged “general services” contract signed by Guaidó and two political advisers in Miami in October for $213 million. But Goudreau said Guaidó — who denied involvement — abandoned the effort, and he elected to forge ahead with the plan.The United States has ramped up pressure on Maduro in recent weeks, including indicting the socialist leader as a narco-trafficker in March and offering a $15 million reward for his arrest, while also increasing sanctions to stifle Venezuela’s oil sector.

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