Hear Venezuelans response to the US seizing Nicolas Maduro’s plane
Hear Venezuelans response to the US seizing Nicolas Maduro’s plane
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00:00Well Venezuela's government accuses the United States of piracy and escalating
00:04aggression after seizing President Nicolas Maduro's plane. The U.S. says the
00:08jet was acquired in violation of sanctions among other criminal activity.
00:11CNN's Auro Lieberman has details. This jet was in the Dominican Republic for
00:17maintenance when U.S. authorities seized it. FBI agents flew it from the Dominican
00:21Republic to Florida. There you can see video obtained exclusively by CNN as it
00:26landed in Fort Lauderdale Florida and was taxiing around there. It's not quite
00:30the 747 jumbo jet that the U.S. uses as Air Force One but it is according to two
00:35U.S. officials Venezuela's version of Air Force One used by President Nicolas
00:40Maduro to fly around to meetings and to other events there. According to Garland
00:44it was purchased for some 13 million dollars by a shell company before it was
00:48illegally flown out of the country. Now the U.S. and Venezuela have long had a
00:54frosty relationship that's only gotten worse perhaps even almost outright
00:58hostile since the July presidential election. The U.S. not recognizing the
01:02claimed results of that election. According to Maduro's own regime he won
01:07with some 51% of the vote. The U.S. not recognizing that as a free and fair
01:11election. In fact many other countries not recognizing it as well. It is because
01:15of the results or claimed results of that election that the U.S. reimposed
01:19sanctions on Venezuela's oil and gas industries. Venezuela said the seizure
01:24of that jet was quote piracy. Warren Lieberman CNN in Washington. For more now
01:32we're joined by Brett Bruin president of the Global Situation Room a private
01:35consulting firm focusing on crisis management and international security.
01:38Before that he held senior positions on the National Security Council and at the
01:42U.S. State Department. Brett it's good to see you. Good to be with you John. Okay so
01:46here's part of a statement from the U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on the
01:49seizure of Maduro's plane. The Justice Department seized an aircraft
01:52wheel edge was illegally purchased for 13 million dollars for use by Nicolas
01:56Maduro and his cronies. The Justice Department goes on to say the plane was
02:01illegally exported in April of 2023 from the United States to Venezuela via the
02:05Caribbean. So what this is all just about violations of U.S. sanctions this wasn't
02:09done to send a message to Maduro to you know hit him where it really hurts or
02:13was it a bit of both? Well it's all about the timing and quite frankly the Biden
02:19administration has been looking for ways symbolic as well as some
02:23significant ways that they can send a message to Caracas and by taking Maduro's
02:29plane I think they have achieved a small modicum of that message to say you know
02:36symbolically but also you know for a head of state not to be able to fly
02:40around in their own private jet with all of the you know John I was looking at
02:45some of the features this jet has earlier on today it's going to be a
02:49little bit less comfortable for Maduro on his next flight abroad. Yeah just what
02:54sort of plane was it I know it's electric plane but what were the
02:56features? Well look it's got a private bedroom it has nicely upholstered seats
03:03and nicely finished cabin so his trips around Latin America were a little bit
03:09more comfortable than they had been prior to the 13 million dollar purchase
03:14of this plane. At the same time though look I think we're seeing and just
03:20within the last few hours there have been some reports that the US plans to
03:25sanction Venezuelan election officials that Maduro had used in order to try and
03:32seal these elections so they are going to take other steps the real question
03:37here is will it amount to more than a hill of beans or will it simply just be
03:41a whole lot of showmanship as you said in the past that hasn't swayed the
03:47Venezuelan leaders very much. Well we also have this statement from the US
03:51Commerce Department let this seizure send a clear message aircraft illegally
03:55acquired from the United States for the benefit of sanctioned Venezuelan
03:57officials cannot just fly off into the sunset. Meantime in Venezuela a
04:01government statement described the seizure of the plane as piracy saying
04:05the US illegally seized an aircraft that has been used by the President of the
04:08Republic they actually referred to it again another aircraft this is an
04:12example of the supposed rules-based order which disregarding international
04:15law seeks to establish the law of the strongest hmm okay so just how difficult
04:20is it to seize a plane used by a head of state and also would you expect
04:24reprisals perhaps you know from the Maduro government? Well let's start with
04:28this is not unprecedented the US has actually seized about 70
04:35Venezuelan planes most of them associated with Eta Vesa the state oil
04:40company they even just within the last year seized a plane in Argentina so this
04:45is a common practice but as you said seizing the plane of a head of state is
04:50a stronger step it sends a message to not only to Venezuelan leaders but quite
04:56frankly to leaders around the world those ill-gotten gains and those
05:00ill-gotten planes are going to wind up in our hands if in fact you cross the
05:07United States and especially as Maduro has by trying to just blatantly steal
05:12another term in office. And speaking of which all of this does come a month
05:16after Maduro declared himself a winner of that much disputed election and ever
05:20since according to the US State Department Maduro has ratcheted up
05:23repression through politically targeted threats unjust and indiscriminate
05:27detentions and censorship in a desperate attempt to hold on to power
05:30by force Maduro's actions have exacerbated the
05:33Venezuelan crisis and left him increasingly isolated from the
05:37international community. Well even more so now without his plane. On the surface
05:42at least these elections seem to be playing out as the previous elections
05:44Maduro claims the victory in a rigged vote the opposition cries foul protests
05:48erupts people get killed is it different will be any different this time? John I
05:54wish I could answer that my cynical side says no we're gonna see a lot of
05:59the steps that we have seen in the past the US perhaps Europe in some respects
06:05will go through all of these motions but it isn't clear that there is a plan a
06:11strategy that they can execute to effectively pry and apply pressure to
06:17create more deterrence on Maduro just bulldozing ahead because let's face it
06:22he's already pretty isolated there was an effort led by Lula da Silva the head
06:29of state in Brazil to try and negotiate some exit for Maduro that hasn't quite
06:34frankly yielded very much it did yield a proposal that we'd have a do-over but I
06:41don't think there really are do-overs in democracy so we're left without a great
06:46path forward for the West. Brett great to have you with us really appreciate the
06:50insight and the analysis as well good to see you.