U.S. officials quietly travel to Venezuela in bid to bring home detained Americans, rebuild relations
CBSJul 28, 2022
The Facts
Special Presidential Envoy for Hostage Affairs Roger Carstens and US Ambassador Jimmy Story quietly traveled to Venezuela on Mon. to reportedly secure the release of US nationals in the country.
A State Dept. spokesperson described the trip as a welfare visit focused on the safety of several US citizens detained in Caracas, including a group of oil executives from Houston-based company Citgo, who've been jailed for more than four years.
The Spin
Establishment-critical narrative
This trip is a dangerous step towards normalizing a brutal socialist tyrant. Maduro isn't Venezuela's legitimate leader, and US officials should avoid interacting with his corrupt regime.
Pro-establishment narrative
The US has no other choice than to rebuild its relations with Venezuela. Though in a perfect world, the US would prefer to work with Juan Guaidó, Russia's war in Ukraine has upset the global order, forcing the US to recalibrate its foreign policy objectives.