The Department of Justice Has Backpedaled on its Claims about a "Terrorist" Cartel Linked to Venezuelan President Maduro.
A significant shift has occurred in the way the US government refers to the Cartel de Los Soles, a group originally linked to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's alleged narco-terrorism activities. In an updated indictment released over the weekend, references to the cartel have been drastically reduced. The original 2020 grand jury indictment mentioned the term 32 times and explicitly described it as an organization headed by Maduro.
However, a closer examination of the amended indictment reveals that the language used to describe the Cartel de Los Soles has been toned down. Instead of directly referring to the group as a cartel, the updated version describes it as "patronage system." Moreover, explicit references to Maduro being a member of the organization have been removed.
It's essential to note that the term "Cartel de Los Soles," meaning "Cartel of the Suns," was coined in the 1990s by Venezuelan journalists to describe high-ranking officials corrupted by drug money. The name originates from the sun symbols found on many official uniforms.
Interestingly, despite the reduction in language, Secretary of State Marco Rubio still refers to Cartel de Los Soles as an actual organization headed by Maduro, albeit with some caveats. When questioned about the amended indictment, Rubio continued to emphasize that the group is a significant threat to national security and has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
While the Department of Justice has reduced its language in relation to the Cartel de Los Soles, it's crucial to understand that this shift may not necessarily indicate a change in their assessment of Maduro's involvement.
A significant shift has occurred in the way the US government refers to the Cartel de Los Soles, a group originally linked to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's alleged narco-terrorism activities. In an updated indictment released over the weekend, references to the cartel have been drastically reduced. The original 2020 grand jury indictment mentioned the term 32 times and explicitly described it as an organization headed by Maduro.
However, a closer examination of the amended indictment reveals that the language used to describe the Cartel de Los Soles has been toned down. Instead of directly referring to the group as a cartel, the updated version describes it as "patronage system." Moreover, explicit references to Maduro being a member of the organization have been removed.
It's essential to note that the term "Cartel de Los Soles," meaning "Cartel of the Suns," was coined in the 1990s by Venezuelan journalists to describe high-ranking officials corrupted by drug money. The name originates from the sun symbols found on many official uniforms.
Interestingly, despite the reduction in language, Secretary of State Marco Rubio still refers to Cartel de Los Soles as an actual organization headed by Maduro, albeit with some caveats. When questioned about the amended indictment, Rubio continued to emphasize that the group is a significant threat to national security and has been designated as a foreign terrorist organization.
While the Department of Justice has reduced its language in relation to the Cartel de Los Soles, it's crucial to understand that this shift may not necessarily indicate a change in their assessment of Maduro's involvement.
. i mean, what changed? did they find out that Maduro wasn't actually involved with the cartel all along? or is it just a case of "we don't wanna ruffle any feathers"? i'm not saying it's necessarily a conspiracy theory, but it does seem like they're trying to make this whole thing less about Maduro and more about the 'cartel' itself 
. what do u think?
. And what's with Secretary Rubio keeping on saying the same thing? Is he just not getting the memo 
or is this some kinda game? Either way, it looks like we've got more twists and turns in this Maduro saga 
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. And let's be real, the fact that they had to change their language in the first place suggests there was some pressure from the Maduro camp or maybe even from Venezuela itself 
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. The term "patronage system" is still pretty loaded, if you ask me 
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. But, I guess it's possible that the DOJ is trying to keep things on the down-low for now... like, maybe they're waiting for some new evidence or something? 
. I'm not sure if we should be celebrating the fact that Maduro isn't being called out by name yet or not... 
. It feels like they're still trying to paint a pretty picture of how serious the situation is, even if they're not using those exact words anymore 
. I don't know about Marco Rubio's stance though - seems kinda contradictory, right? Either he believes in the group being a major threat or he doesn't 
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. What do you guys think is going on here?
and its all good that secretary Rubio still says it is tho... some ppl just like to stir up drama 
like i cant even right now... so the US government is basically saying they were wrong about Madura being the leader of some cartel 
and now they're trying to tone down it but still saying its a big deal 
and Marco Rubio is still hating on Maduro like he doesnt care that DOJ changed their mind 
i mean, what's up with all these changes? first they call it a cartel, then they tone down the language and now it's like "patronage system" or something? and rubio still thinks it's a legit threat, but without saying it directly... sounds fishy to me 
. i guess we'll just have to wait and see how this whole thing plays out 
It's all about spin control for them. And Rubio still thinks it's legit, lol what a showman 
. And let's be real, Marco Rubio still thinks Maduro is the head of this "terrorist" cartel 