The Trump Regime Beats the Drums on Venezuela

Well, isn't this just a convenient (and unsubstantiated) assertion to both 1: justify military intervention in Venezuela and 2: justify the demand for border wall funding. https://t.co/CnV1oIoEoa

— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) February 7, 2019

If you can't view the video in the embedded tweet, it's Secretary of State Mike Pompeo telling Fox News' Trish Regan that Hezbollah has "active cells" in Venezuela: "People don't recognize that Hezbollah has active cells — the Iranians are impacting the people of Venezuela and throughout South America. We have an obligation to take down that risk for America."

What public evidence of Hezbollah's activity in Venezuela is there? None. If you look for any, what you'll find is articles about Pompeo making the claim and the Trump Treasury Department "investigating" the alleged activity.

There is no compelling explanation of why an Iranian proxy would have "active cells" in South America, nor any clear definition of what constitutes an "active cell," because Pompeo knows he needs neither.

All he has to do is say this nonsense on Fox News, whose viewers don't need any information beyond "brown people are coming for you" to support whatever policy is proposed to stop them.

And it's pretty clear what two-pronged purpose this racist fearmongering serves: The Trump regime needs support for military intervention in Venezuela, for which they've been gunning for nearly two years; and Trump needs to shore up his absurd and oft-repeated claim that terrorists are pouring over the southern border into the United States.

It's only a matter of time before we hear that Hezbollah in Venezuela is insinuating themselves into the caravans of refugees who are headed toward the U.S.

This is a sickening lie. It's Fox News fever dreams as foreign policy. And it is yet another reason that removing Trump and his entire administration from the halls of power is tremendously urgent.