Biden climate change envoy John Kerry shared a laugh and a warm handshake with Venezuela’s accused narco-terrorist Nicolas Maduro at the COP27 UN climate meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt Tuesday in an “unplanned interaction.”
Maduro has a $15 million bounty on his head courtesy of the U.S. Justice Department. He was charged in March 2020 with narco-terrorism, corruption, and drug trafficking. The reward is being offered for “information leading to the arrest and/or conviction of Maduro.”
The former Venezuelan dictator was one of 90 world leaders at the climate summit, according to the Daily Mail. Venezuela’s oil is of extreme interest to the Biden administration these days.
Kerry and Maduro shook hands and spoke briefly. At one point, Kerry wagged his finger and smiled at the corruptocrat. They shook hands and Maduro moved on to other world leaders who also greeted him warmly.
Venezuela’s Maduro goes from being on US wanted list in 2020 ( $15 million reward for his capture), to shaking hands with John Kerry in 2022. Video from Egypt today at #COP27 : pic.twitter.com/e3wUNlgCOt
— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) November 8, 2022
The video that caught the exchange went viral and Maduro’s supporters shared it widely on social media.
Critics of the Biden administration also seized upon the encounter, accusing the government of schmoozing with terrorists.
“Maduro and the other defendants expressly intended to flood the United States with cocaine in order to undermine the health and wellbeing of our nation,” said Geoffrey Berman, who was the US attorney for the Southern District of New York at the time of Maduro’s charging in 2020, according to the Daily Mail.
A disgrace 😡😡😡😡
— America Loving Momma (@AmericanMomma28) November 8, 2022
“Maduro very deliberately deployed cocaine as a weapon. While Maduro and other cartel members held lofty titles in Venezuela’s political and military leadership, the conduct described in the Indictment wasn’t statecraft or service to the Venezuelan people. As alleged, the defendants betrayed the Venezuelan people and corrupted Venezuelan institutions to line their pockets with drug money,” he added.
“These officials repeatedly and knowingly betrayed the people of Venezuela, conspiring, for personal gain, with drug traffickers and designated foreign terrorist organizations like the FARC. Today’s actions send a clear message to corrupt officials everywhere that no one is above the law or beyond the reach of US law enforcement,” DEA Acting Administrator Uttam Dhillon noted as well.
Biden critics called the interlude “disgusting.”
Begging for Venezuelan oil
— Charlie (@CharlieC6496) November 8, 2022
“Once again, @JoeBiden’s admin is cozying up to brutal dictators like @NicolasMaduro,” Rick Scott, the Republican Florida senator whose state is home to the largest community of Venezuelans in the country, tweeted.
Scott was shocked that Kerry would shake Maduro’s hand, chat with him, and share a laugh.
“It’s disgusting and signals complete disregard for the evils committed by his regime,” he remarked. “@JohnKerry’s ‘cordial conversation’ should repulse every American.”
Once again, @JoeBiden's admin is cozying up to brutal dictators like @NicolasMaduro. It's disgusting and signals complete disregard for the evils committed by his regime.@JohnKerry's "cordial conversation" should repulse every American. https://t.co/MBYg4Jvw0F
— Rick Scott (@SenRickScott) November 8, 2022
Ned Price, a spokesman for the State Department, claimed that Maduro interrupted Kerry while he was meeting someone else. It sure didn’t look that way.
“He briefly spoke to Special Envoy Kerry during COP27,” Price asserted. “This was not planned or substantive in any way.”
“As far as that conversation goes, it was unplanned. It was non-substantive as well,” he said attempting to provide cover for Kerry. “[Kerry] was caught by surprise. I understand that Nicolas Maduro has done this to a number of world leaders.”
State Department trying to walk back the handshake, saying it was “unplanned, nonsubstantive”, & that envoy Kerry was caught by surprise.
But this follows careful review of relations with Venezuela from the Biden admin., release of hostages, & possible easing of oil sanctions.
— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) November 8, 2022
Maduro was also filmed Monday having a warm conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron.
The Macron encounter with subtitles, by the end of it Maduro is speaking French too… https://t.co/bpayKpYBFx
— Joyce Karam (@Joyce_Karam) November 8, 2022
The former Venezuelan dictator is hoping that sanctions on his country will be lifted so he can sell oil on the open market and obtain the desperately-needed upgrades to his country’s outdated oil infrastructure. President Biden in turn seems to be warming to the idea as a self-created energy crunch cripples the United States.
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