Rep. Ilhan Omar Slammed for Blaming America for the Collapse of Socialist Venezuela

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, on Jan. 24, 2019. (Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) is once again under fire, this time for arguing that U.S. sanctions are to blame for the collapse of Venezuela under illegitimate dictator Nicolás Maduro.

“A lot of the policies that we have put in place has kind of helped lead the devastation in Venezuela,” Omar said during an interview with the left-leaning Democracy Now! program. “And we’ve sort of set the stage for where we’re arriving today.”

She continued, “This particular bullying and the use of sanctions to eventually intervene and make regime change really does not help the people of countries like Venezuela, and it certainly does not help and is not in the interest of the United States.”

The socialist South American country has spiraled into humanitarian, economic, and political chaos after Maduro refused to step down under mounting international pressure. In mid-January, Venezuela’s duly elected National Assembly declared Maduro’s presidency illegitimate due to a fraudulent election and instead swore in Juan Guaidó as the interim president. But Maduro has refused to give up control.

Guaidó, who is internationally recognized as the legitimate president with the backing of more than 50 nations, had launched a “final phase” plan to oust the socialist dictator and bring freedom to the country. The interim president recently gathered a small contingent of heavily armed troops and called for Venezuelans and the military to rise up—a move that is supported by the United States.

Maduro was ready to leave Venezuela but didn’t follow through after Russia coaxed him into staying, according to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

Omar received heavy backlash for her comments, with many taking to social media to condemn the freshman congresswoman.

Vice President Mike Pence expressed his disbelief that Omar had chosen “socialism over freedom.”

“As Venezuelans take to the streets to stand for their freedom against an oppressive dictator, Democrat Congresswoman @IlhanMN chooses socialism over freedom. The Trump Administration stands with the freedom-loving people of Venezuela,” Pence wrote on Twitter.

Former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said “@IlhanMN the avg Venezuelan adult has lost 24 lbs. Babies have no medicine. Families have to walk miles in the heat to get the only meal they may have that day. All bc of the corrupt Maduro regime. Your comments are so far from the truth. Cuba and Russia appreciate your support.”

Similarly, the former Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City Herman Cain said, “Here we have a currently-serving Democrat, a woman they champion and place on the covers of their lapdog magazines, and she’s actually trying to deflect blame from a murderous dictator and place it on her own country.”

John Cooper, the senior communications manager of National Security and Foreign Policy at the Heritage Foundation, also shared similar views.

“Wow: @IlhanMN says the U.S. has “helped lead the devastation in #Venezuela,“ and accuses the U.S. on ”bullying“ the Maduro regime. Apparently Maduro’s starvation of his people and armored trucks running them over in the streets is not worthy of criticism in her eyes,” Cooper wrote.

Omar previously denounced President Donald Trump’s support for Guaidó, calling the interim president’s party “far-right” and their fight against Maduro, a “coup,” even though Maduro is considered illegitimate by many nations.

“A US backed coup in Venezuela is not a solution to the dire issues they face. Trump’s efforts to install a far right opposition will only incite violence and further destabilize the region,” Omar said on Twitter, on Jan. 24.

Moreover, Omar attacked the U.S. special envoy to Venezuela Elliott Abrams in February during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, saying that she didn’t trust him and then wouldn’t permit him to reply.

The Epoch Times Bowen Xiao contributed to this report.