U.S. interference in Venezuela is stymied once again

New York Venezuela Info attorney Eva Golinger reports on the U.S. National Endowment for Democracy (uh-huh) in Venezuela.

On November 8, 2004, National Endowment for Democracy (NED) president Carl Gershman made an historic visit to Venezuela with a very peculiar purpose. Gershman traveled to the South American nation to request President Chavez to influence the outcome of a legal case brought against NED direct grantee Sumate ... currently in the hands of the independent Attorney General’s office.

But much to Gershman’s surprise, no meetings had been authorized with the Venezuelan President or cabinet members and therefore, he was unable to exert the weight of the US-backed NED over the popular head of state.

Gershman did meet with Attorney General Isaias Rodriguez and Chief Justice Ivan Rincon. However, both legal chiefs were unwilling to succumb to NED pressure and, instead, made very clear that Venezuela’s judiciary is independent of the Executive and that international influence will not be allowed to interfere with, or impede, due process of law.

  VHeadline article

That's the way separation of powers is supposed to work. That's the way they do it in the "third world".

The case brought against NED-grantee Sumate has caused uproar in the ranks of the US State Department and the quasi-governmental NED (which receives all of its financing from the US Congress and is obliged to report annually on its activities and use of funds).

On occasion, such as in Venezuela, the State Department issues “special funds” to the NED to finance its activities in nations of "key interest." In April 2002, just days after the failed coup d’etat against Venezuela President Hugo Chávez, the State Department gave the NED a US$1 million grant entitled “Special Venezuela Funds” .. which was distributed to many of the very same groups that had just led and participated in the coup.

In fact, since President Chavez’ election to highest office in 1998, the NED has consistently funded just one sector in Venezuela: the opposition to President Chavez.

Once George W. Bush assumed the US presidency in 2000, funding to opposition groups in Venezuela was quadrupled.

[...]

Due to a massive campaign in defense of Sumate that has been launched by the US State Department, the case has experienced interesting delays. Gershman’s visit came one week after the arraignment hearing had been postponed from November 2 to November 24, as a result of the resignation of one of the defendant’s attorneys.

Subsequently, the case experienced another development after US Ambassador to Venezuela, William Brownfield, visited Chief Justice Ivan Rincon and requested he intervene to prevent the case from proceeding.

[...]

Gershman’s visit ... the first visit by the NED president to a foreign nation to defend the organization’s interests ... was an apparent “last chance” offer to the Venezuelan government to stop the case or face the wrath of the US government.

Even presidential candidate John Kerry got on the Sumate defense bandwagon in the days prior to the US elections, criticizing Chavez for “political persecution” and accusing him of heading towards a dictatorship.

Other Sumate defenders include US Congress members Christopher Cox and Gregory Meeks ... both on the NED Board of Directors ... and Senator John McCain and former US Secretary of State Madeline Albright who chair the NED core grantee organizations, the International Republican Institute and the National Democratic Institute, respectively.

Read the rest. It's encouraging in the report that Venezuelans are too politically savvy to fall for the NED's manipulations and threats.

...but hey, do what you want...you will anyway.