Venezuela accused in Argentina campaign probe

[Lone_Star_Dem]

Source: Miami Herald

The arrest of four men in Miami could unravel a scandal linking alleged illegal contributions from Venezuelan President Chávez to the new Argentine president.

Federal prosecutors dropped a bombshell in a federal courtroom in Miami on Wednesday, alleging for the first time that the government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez secretly tried to funnel nearly $1 million in cash to the presidential campaign of newly elected Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner.

The accusation came during a hasty hearing for four foreign nationals -- including two wealthy South Florida Venezuelans. Each is charged with being unregistered foreign agents for the Venezuelan government.

Their mission from the Chávez government, prosecutors say: to hush up a local Venezuelan man who was caught in August with a suitcase full of campaign cash as he arrived at a Buenos Aires airport with a high-ranking Argentine official. They pressured him not to reveal the source of the cash or its recipient.

''The money was meant for the campaign of Cristina Kirchner,'' Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Mulvihill told U.S. Magistrate Robert Dube. ``These defendants were instructed to keep the role of Venezuela in the matter quiet.''

Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/top_stories/story/342748.html

[LynnTheDem]

1. Ohhh a two-fer!

The rightwingnuttery can now target two liberals for the price of one!

:rofl:

[1932]

2. Their lawyer says the have no connection with gov't, "in fact they're oil & gas co execs"

[Judi Lynn]

9. You bet. If they could only get Bolivia or Ecuador worked in there,it'd be a trifecta,all over again

Here's her inauguration speech, which ran on C-Span on Saturday, with some very POINTED remarks sprinkled through it. It's tremendous. Contains references to their horrendous, deadly US-supported fascist coup, subsequent neo-liberal, deadly policy, etc.

You will notice women sitting in the balcony wearing white scarves. At first I thought they might be Islamic, then it hit me that they are the grandmothers who have demonstrated during the military take-over up to the present.

Their daughters were taken prisoner by the right-wing monsters as leftists, or leftist sympathizers, were forced to give birth to the children they were carrying, first, then they were killed, and their children given out to Argentinian officers and their families, like door prizes.

The grandmothers protested it back then, and were infiltrated by various government agents, including the Angel of Death, to get information which could get them killed. They continued. They are demanding to know where their daughters' children went, and where they are now. They seek to be united with them before they die.

C-Span link to Real Player:
http://12.170.145.161/search/basic.asp?ResultStart=1&ResultCount=10&BasicQueryText=President+Cristina+Fernandez



The "Angel of Death," Argentinian Navy officer, Alfredo Astiz

The new President of Argentina, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, with her husband standing on the left side of the photo. (Her husband was tortured by the right-wing, U.S., Kissinger-supported regime.)

[stillcool]

3. and the beat goes on...

http://english.eluniversal.com/2007/12/13/en_pol_art_three-venezuelans-ar_13A1260095.shtml
Caracas, Thursday December 13 , 2007
EL UNIVERSAL

Three Venezuelans and a Uruguayan national were arrested Wednesday night by the United States Federal Bureau of Intelligence (FBI). They were accused of conspiring to act as agents of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela within the United States, without prior notification to the Attorney General of the United States, as required by law, according to Venezuelan local news channel Globovisión.
------------------------------------------------------------------
On August 4, 2007, Antonini, onboard a Cessna Citation bearing registration number N5113S, traveled from Venezuela together with other eight individuals to Argentina. The Argentinean Customs Service conducted a search of a piece of luggage being carried by Antonini and found approximately USD 800,000. The Argentinean authorities confiscated the money and Antonini went back home in Florida.

"The complaint describes an alleged plot by Venezuelan government agents to manipulate a US citizen in order to conceal an escalating international scandal," said Wainstein.

Meanwhile, in his affidavit, FBI Special Agent Michael J. Lasiewicki, who is in charge of the case, said that, based on his investigations, Franklin Durán advised Antonini that authorities in both Argentina and Venezuela would pursue Antonini, if Antonini said that the seized funds did not belong to him (Antonini). Carlos Kauffmann advised Antonini that the consequences of Antonini's future actions might put the life of Antonini's children at risk. Moisés Maionica advised Antonini that Venezuelan state oil firm Pdvsa would pay for all the expenses and financial penalties that Antonini might incur as a result of the seizure of the USD 800,000.

In another paragraph in the complaint, Lasiewicki claims that on August 29, 2007, Durán spoke on the telephone with Antonini and requested that Antonini electronically transmit a power of attorney to him. Durán assured Antonini that the matter was being handled at "the top of the Venezuelan government." Further, Maionica reportedly advised Antonini that he was given his mission by the Office of the Vice-President of Venezuela and the Directorate of Intelligence and Preventive Services (Disip).

FM Maduro: "This is a maneuver"
The Venezuelan government described the criminal procedure filed in Miami as a maneuver against President Hugo Chávez and progressive governments in Latin America.

"This is a hopeless effort by the United States Government, which is using sensitive mechanisms of the judiciary to wage a political, psychological and media war against the progressive governments in the continent," said Venezuelan Minister of Foreign Affairs Nicolás Maduro, as quoted by Efe.

Meanwhile, in Buenos Aires, the Argentinean Presidency's Spokesman claimed it did not have information about the case. "We have no idea. We are going to get information," an official who spoke under condition of anonymity told AP.

Translated by Maryflor Suárez R.
[e-mail]
SEE THE SPECIAL FEATURE ON THE SUITCASE SCANDAL AT:
http://english.eluniversal.com/caval_indexEng.shtml

[T Wolf]

4. And why is it any of our business if country A supports elections in country B?

Except if one of our banana plantations is threatened.

Or maybe it is a monetary contribution as opposed to the US murdering politicians or nuns throughout Central and South America.

Hypocrisy - thou art Amerika.

[L. Coyote]

5. The propaganda effort to discredit Chavez and Fernández de Kirchner may be linked to TORTURE

death squads, and the possibility that US officials will face indictments in South America for their roles. Expect a lot more anti-Chavez propaganda to come out, if not political coups to overthrow these governments and halt the revelations and trials.

George Bush Sr. May Face Charges: Conspiring to Kidnap, TORTURE, and Murder Political Activists
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x2459135

Chavez was trained by these people and has the insider view.
He knows the facts about these Fascists and the death squad state terrorism they were involved in.

[Judi Lynn]

8. Great thread. Thanks for the link. It will take longer to study, and well worth it. n/t

[L. Coyote]

11. See this film too: THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED

THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED
KIM BARTLEY AND DONNACHA O'BRIAIN
1 hr 14 min 31 sec - Apr 23, 2006
FILM: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5832390545689805144

MORE: http://www.chavezthefilm.com

[Judi Lynn]

14. Did you know the Venezuelan opposition threatened Amnesty International about showing this film

at their festival in Vancouver so intensely that A-I knucked under and withdrew it, altogether? They publicly admit they chickened out.

Damned pathetic.

ANYONE would find his/her time well spent studying this film, which had started out as a simple documentary on Chavez, and was in progress at the very time the violent coup by the opposition was launched. It's irreplaceable as a historical document.

[Joe Chi Minh]

6. Fighting fire with fire. Pot... kettle. With bells on. The roughed-up bully

cries like a baby.

[Judi Lynn]

7. Argentina calls U.S. cash probe a "dirty trick"

Argentina calls U.S. cash probe a "dirty trick"
Thu Dec 13, 2007 12:11pm EST

By Cesar Illiano

BUENOS AIRES (Reuters) - Argentina said on Thursday the U.S. government pulled a "dirty trick" by accusing Venezuela of trying to smuggle $800,000 into Argentina to fund the former first lady's successful campaign for president.

...

Argentine Justice Minister Anibal Fernandez said the U.S. probe was aimed at "smearing" President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, an ally of Venezuela's leftist leader Hugo Chavez.

...

"This looks like a phenomenal dirty trick," Anibal Fernandez said. "This is not innocent, it is aimed at smearing the Argentine government or the presence of Chavez in Argentina."

...

President Fernandez criticized the U.S. allegations in an appearance at the presidential palace, with a thinly veiled reference to the United States.

"This shows how others view international politics and the type of relationship they want to have with other countries," she said. "More than friends, they want countries that work for them."

More:
http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSN1351149120071213?pageNumber=1&virtualBrandChannel=0

[L. Coyote]

12. This is the groundwork to label Bush and Kissinger indictments as payback.

[Judi Lynn]

13. They've got it coming! Hope the whole story of these clowns' involvement will be illuminated

during our lifetime. Anything less would be a desperate shame. They need to be completely revealed, and examined for their dirty work.

_Bush has been in it from before the Bay of Pigs, since he contributed two of his own boats to the Bay of Pigs invasion, of course.

The effect of their involvement in covert war on the people of Latin America is hideous. People need to know what they've tried so hard to hide from them, while using their tax money to finance filth, death, massacres of so many Latin American helpless citizens over DECADES.

[Judi Lynn]

10. Argentinean President rejects "smear plan" related to Antonini's case

Caracas, Thursday December 13 , 2007
Argentinean President rejects "smear plan" related to Antonini's case


Argentinean President Cristina Fernández Thursday branded as a "smear plan" the complaint filed by a Miami-based Attorney General about the alleged remittance of foreign funds to Argentina to finance her electoral campaign, and said he should not accept any pressures.

Fernández added that her government would continue to improve relations with Venezuela and other Latin American countries, AP reported.

Earlier, two Argentinean ministers branded as "caddish trick" and "intelligence operation" the complaint filed by Attorney General Thomas Mulvihill, who claimed that the USD 800,000 Venezuelan-US citizen Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson unsuccessfully tried to smuggle into Argentina last August 4 -and which were confiscated by the Argentinean Customs Service- were intended to fund Fernández's electoral campaign.

http://english.eluniversal.com/2007/12/13/en_pol_art_argentinean-presiden_13A1260323.shtml
(extreme opposition newspaper)

[Peace Patriot]

15. Oh, man, I am SO GLAD the Argentinians are calling this what it is!

Go, President Cristina!

My, my, how things have changed!

"Intelligence operation." "Caddish trick." "Smear plan." Yup. And they nailed the reason, and put it right out there in public, too. Their alliance with Venezuela.

These are Donald Rumsfeld's targets--destroying the Bolivarian democracies, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia and Argentina--in Oil War II. You wonder where the billions they've stolen from us in Iraq are going? Here. South America. The Andes.

See Judi Lynn's post today on Bolivia
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3101023

See also her other post on Argentina
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x3101040

And see what Rumsfeld had to say last week--his "PNAC" plan for destroying these governments and their people, which is being launched from Colombia--not to mention his plan to finish up destroying our own government, in order to get "swift" U.S. action in support of fascist murder, torture and mayhem by his scumbag pals in South America.

"The Smart Way to Beat Tyrants Like Chávez," By Donald Rumsfeld 12.1.07
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/30/AR2007113001800.html
Comment here:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=103x323889

That "smart" Rumsfeld--always thinking!

I'm sure the trouble in Bolivia is his work as well.