Veteran U.S. diplomat Richardson fails to secure release of Americans jailed in Venezuela

[Jose Garcia]

Source: Reuters

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Veteran U.S. diplomat Bill Richardson was not able to secure the release of American citizens held as prisoners in Venezuela during his visit to the country, his foundation said in a statement late on Thursday.

On his trip to Venezuela, which he called a private humanitarian mission conducted at the request of “several American prisoners’ families,” Richardson met Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and Venezuela’s vice president.

“I am glad we were able to meet with President Maduro to discuss the potential release of the American prisoners and other COVID-19 humanitarian issues,” Richardson said in the statement.

“We regret that we were not able to secure the release of the Americans. Our thoughts are with the families of the 6 Citgo executives - Tomeu Vadell, Alirio Zambrano, Jose Luis Zambrano, Gustavo Cardenas, Jorge Toledo, and Jose Angel Pereira - as well as with former Green Berets Luke Denman and Airan Berry,” he added.

Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-venezuela-richardson-idUSKCN24I1LP?taid=5f11e14b502a3e0001c8330c&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter

[OneCrazyDiamond]

1. Luke Denman and Airan Berry tried to overthrow Venezuela.

Not surprised on them....I don't know the others.

[marble falls]

2. I think they are being held rightously. Let them face Venezuelan justice. We put people ...

that did a lot less against American interests let alone the nation into places like Gitmo and SuperMax prisons.

[The Magistrate]

3. The Mercenary Fools Are Fortunate They Were Not Shot Out Of Hand, Sir

They can rot in jail pour encourager les autres....

It is not easy to enlist my sympathy for oil company executives, either, and I need much more than a statement from our present government to view charges against these people as unjustified.

[lagomorph777]

4. Well, yeah, once they piled on the plagiarism charges, there was no hope, really.

I'm glad Pompeo's State Department got right on it though.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

5. Not his fault. tRump regime has no clue about diplomacy

Note: Pierre is Justin's father, Prime Minister of Canada 68-79, 80-84



Two more here: https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=13761881

[left-of-center2012]

7. Trump also accused Canada of burning down the White House

The British did it in the War of 1812.

Guess Trump missed that history class.

[Warpy]

6. Pompeo was desperate enough to use Richardson!

That's the really big news here.

Bill Richardson could charm the birds out of the trees and was one of the few people who could get concessions to anything from N. Korea.

This was just an impossible task, those bozos tried to invade the country. There is no way anyone with a brain is going to turn them loose again, they might find a better sugar daddy the next time.

[left-of-center2012]

8. I liked Richardson, but he lost me over this 2016 'hit and run'

Former Gov. Bill Richardson pleaded no contest to one count in a hit-and-run case.

Santa Fe police cited Richardson on Jan. 6, accusing him of leaving the scene after rear-ending a car at Paseo de Peralta and Marcy Street. According to a police report, the driver of an Acura told officers she stopped at the four-way stop about 8 a.m. when the former governor drove into her vehicle from behind. The woman told police Richardson’s 2004 Jeep hit her a second time “hard enough” that it “pushed her into the intersection,” the report says.

“Did I hit somebody?” Richardson later asked when interviewed by police, the incident report says. “It popped a little bit, but I think it was like a little hit.”
“I failed to notice her vehicle suffered damage,” he said of the other driver.

But unlike the typical defendant in Santa Fe, NM, Municipal Court, Richardson was allowed to phone in his plea, and his reason for not appearing and whereabouts were kept secret, sealed in the court record for 30 days by a judge’s order. Richardson agreed to complete a defensive driving course, pay $56 in court costs and write a letter of apology to the other driver.

https://www.santafenewmexican.com/news/local_news/ex-governor-richardson-pleads-no-contest-in-hit-and-run-case/article_8f7af772-9031-5b30-8322-8a294a8bf998.html

[a la izquierda]

9. They can sit and rot.

Leave Latin American the fuck alone.