Florida Republicans Laud Trump Over Venezuelan 'Capture' That Never Happened
The Hill highlighted Florida Republicans, including Senator Rick Scott, praising Donald Trump for the supposed "capture" of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. (The Hill) What The Hill politely omits is that Maduro was never captured. They’re referring to the infamous, spectacularly failed 2020 "Operation Gideon," where a handful of ex-Green Berets and Venezuelan defectors, led by Jordan Goudreau
of Silvercorp USA, attempted to overthrow the government. This wasn't a U.S. government capture; it was a private mercenary misadventure, largely funded by Venezuelan opposition figures. (AP News, May 5, 2020) One might wonder how many times a 'capture' can fail before it's just considered an abysmal public relations stunt. Perhaps celebrating hypothetical coups is better for fundraising than
acknowledging real-world fiascoes.