Missing Billions: How U.S. 'Aid' Becomes a Black Hole
📰 THE STORY: Senator Jeanne Shaheen pressed Marco Rubio for answers regarding $200 million from the sale of Venezuelan oil managed by the U.S. government, as part of its 'Venezuela policy' under the Trump administration, especially after the mention of Venezuelan long-time leader Nicolas Maduro's 'capture'. The article frames this as a concern about financial oversight within US policy toward
Venezuela. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The U.S. has a long history of meddling in Venezuela's internal affairs, aiming for regime change. In 2002, the George W. Bush administration actively supported a coup attempt against then-President Hugo Chávez. More recently, in January 2019, the Trump administration recognized unelected opposition figure Juan Guaidó as Venezuela's
'interim president,' effectively seizing state assets, including billions in oil revenue and the US-based CITGO petroleum company, and diverting control away from the elected government. This 'interim government' was granted control over significant Venezuelan assets, leading to widespread accusations of corruption and mismanagement. Double Standard: While the Independent frames the questioning of
$200 million as a significant oversight concern, it rarely scrutinizes the far larger sums that vanish or are misappropriated in countries where the U.S. actively funds proxy forces or regime-change efforts. For example, the U.S. spent an estimated $2.3 trillion on the 20-year Afghanistan war, with billions unaccounted for in 'reconstruction' efforts, weapon transfers, and contractor fraud,