Biden administration imposes sanctions against Venezuelan President Maduro's 'cronies'

The Biden administration imposed sanctions Thursday against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and several of his associates for undermining the electoral process and violating the civil and human rights of its citizens.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced the sanctions while speaking to reporters during a briefing Thursday.

"President Biden's approach to foreign policy in the Western Hemisphere has been based on his belief that democracy is fundamentally vital for sustained economic prosperity and security," she said. "Now, Venezuela is no exception, and the blatant electoral fraud following the July 28 presidential elections must continue to be condemned and those obstructing democracy held accountable.

"And that is why, to that end, today we took two important actions to hold Nicolás Maduro and his cronies accountable for their blatant electoral fraud, obstruction of a competitive and inclusive election and violation of the civil and human rights of the people."

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Jean-Pierre said U.S. Secretary of the Treasury Janet Yellen placed sanctions on 16 of Maduro’s affiliated officials along with visa restrictions on a number of his allied officials who "undermined" the electoral process in Venezuela and "are responsible for acts of repression."

The press secretary also said the U.S. has, to date, sanctioned over 140 current and former Venezuelan officials while also taking steps to impose visa restrictions on about 2,000 individuals.

Critics contend the real problem lies with allowing the Maduro regime continued access to lucrative oil contracts.

"The current approach appears to be overly focused on a single tactic. What is the point of imposing sanctions if, at the same time, oil licenses continue to be renewed? Feeding kleptocracy $20B per year," Isaias Medina III, a former U.N. Security Council diplomat and Harvard Mason fellow, told Fox News Digital Thursday. 

"Real pressure comes from taking decisive actions, such as issuing a red notice from Interpol, intercepting every drug shipment and blocking the coast to prevent the movement of oil. Instead of simply warning them, concrete steps should be taken to expose their involvement in drug trafficking, terrorism, corruption and human rights violations. This includes pushing for their removal from the United Nations due to their illegitimacy and compelling the international community to take a unified stance against them."

Venezuela's July 28 election saw Maduro claiming victory by more than 1 million votes. Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, was seeking a third six-year term. Meanwhile, the main opposition coalition, Vente Venezuela, has accused him of trying to steal the vote. The Vente Venezuela campaign has released records showing opposition candidate Edmundo González winning by a more than 2-to-1 margin. The main leader of the opposition, González, and opposition leader María Corina Machado have gone into hiding since the vote.

The opposition suffered a further setback when Venezuela's controversial Supreme Court reasserted Maduro as the winner of the disputed elections. Maduro's hand-picked court declared the voting tallies showing any reports of his loss were fabricated.

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The U.S., European Union (EU) and a slate of Latin American countries have categorically rejected the Venezuelan high court's certification. Maduro and his government have refused to release official tally sheets from last month's election.

Maduro's claim of victory ignited protests across Venezuela, prompting his regime to engage in a wave of violent repression. Security forces have apprehended more than 2,000 demonstrators, many of whom were taken to torture camps.

Earlier this month, the U.S. seized a plane owned by Maduro in the Dominican Republic.

US SEIZES VENEZUELAN LEADER MADURO'S PLANE IN THE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) flew Maduro's personal plane back to the United States Monday morning, when it landed in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and is now in U.S. custody, a U.S. official told Fox News following an initial report by CNN.

The plane, described by officials as Maduro’s version of "Air Force One," is used for Maduro’s state visits around the world and was seized in the Dominican Republic after it was purchased through a straw company in violation of sanctions laws and export controls, the official said. U.S. authorities cited a specific violation of U.S. Executive Order 13884, signed by former President Trump in 2019. 

The plane, valued at $13 million, is a Dassault Falcon 900-EX. The seizure was a result of a joint investigation between HSI and the U.S. Department of Commerce.

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In August 2019, Trump issued Executive Order 13884, which prohibits U.S. persons from engaging in transactions with persons who have acted or purported to act directly or indirectly for or on behalf of, the government of Venezuela, including as a member of the Maduro regime. To protect U.S. national security and foreign policy interests, the Department of Commerce has also imposed export controls for items intended, entirely or in part, for a Venezuelan military or military-intelligence end user, according to the Department of Justice.

Fox News’ Kyra Colah, Danielle Wallace and Bill Melugin contributed to this report.