Venezuelan President Maduro: "Mike Pompeo Stop Your Arrogance"

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro | Photo: teleSUR

Published 7 May 2020

Maduro said during an interview with teleSUR: "I have advised Mike Pompeo: stop your arrogance and recognize that you don't have what it takes to take our government down. We are millions and we have a project, and you just can't stop that"

The President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, said this Thursday that the armed incursion against the South American nation, which occurred on May 3, was a covert operation ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump.

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In an exclusive interview for teleSUR, the head of state reiterated that Trump was aware of this operation since he is informed about international issues and Venezuela is a focal issue of first interest, "it is one of Donald Trump's obsessions".

The armed incursion "is a covert operation ordered by Donald Trump, outsourced to Silvercorp (...) supported by Iván Duque (President of Colombia), and with a contract signed by Juan Guaidó (...) that aimed to assassinate the President, " said the Venezuelan leader.

The president also criticized that U.S. authorities waited 48 hours after the armed incursion to give a statement on the events, saying that Trump's reaction "is incredible and nervous, which initiates a set of strangely late responses."

#LIVE | President @maduro_en: I have advised Mike Pompeo: "stop your arrogance and recognize that you don't have what it takes to take our government down. We are millions and we have a project, and you just can't stop that" https://t.co/AHw8gMqXux pic.twitter.com/WDFjrLOElE— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) May 7, 2020

The Role of Guaido

President Maduro spoke about the contract that began the armed incursion and that has the signature of the former U.S. military and Silvercorp director, Jordan Goudreau, as well as the opposition political consultant Juan José (JJ) Rendón, and opposition lawmakers Sergio Vergara and Juan Guaidó.

In an interview with CNN, JJ Rendón acknowledged having signed the contract and that it aimed to undermine the integrity of the president and several members of the Venezuelan government.

"Juan José Rendón is a political adviser to drug traffickers, extreme right-wing politicians, he has made a fortune stealing, he would not bear an independent investigation. In Venezuela, he has a red code arrest warrant and he is the main adviser to Guaidó," he said.

Maduro reaffirmed that the U.S. attempt at imposing a president on Venezuela unconstitutionally was a complete failure, and emphasized that Guaidó "is a thief, a criminal" for hiring individuals to assassinate a political adversary.

"There is the contract, it is evident, so we are in the presence of moral degradation of the Venezuelan opposition (...) That experiment with a person of such vileness as Juan Guaidó failed them (...) he is a thief, a criminal who is capable of signing a contract to kill his political adversary. It is a failure,
someone will have to admit it, "said the president.

On the other hand, he emphasized that the South American nation has a civic, police, and military defense system to guarantee peace in the country, called the Bolivarian Shield, which remains active. "Our country is ready to fight, that is what they do not want to understand in Washington," he stressed.

.@maduro_en: "Guiado's signature in this contract with the U.S. mercenaries to try to overthrow us is undeniable. Also his adviser JJ Rendon has admitted he did sign. Rendon is an arrogant bandit, he is so full of himself and thinks he smarter than everyone. But he failed." pic.twitter.com/uhmD5OE852— teleSUR English (@telesurenglish) May 7, 2020

Talks with the U.S. are in "Mute"

The head of state reported that they currently do not maintain communication with U.S. authorities, despite having tried to establish a dialogue through different channels.

"Not at this time. There have always been communication links, but after May 3 they were cut ... we have used three different routes that we have with three different officials from the Donald Trump government and they are completely silent."