US Admits Officials Verbally Abused and Strip Searched Venezuelan

[BurtWorm]

Not just any Venezuelan, but Nicolas Maduro, Chavez's Foreign Minister:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/5375144.stm


He said he was verbally abused and strip-searched in what he said was a "flagrant breach of international law".

President Hugo Chavez described Mr Maduro's detention as a provocation.

Our correspondent Pascale Harter says the apology has done little to ease the tense relations between the two countries.

Mr Maduro said the US apology was not enough.

"We were detained during an hour and a half, threatened by police with being beaten," he told reporters at Venezuela's mission to the UN. "We hold the US government responsible."

US authorities initially denied Mr Maduro had been detained and his documents seized, saying he had simply been asked to go through a second security screening.

The US state department later confirmed the incident had taken place and apologised.

"The state department can confirm there was an incident with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro at JFK airport in New York," a spokesman said.

"The state department regrets this incident. The United States government apologised to Foreign Minister Maduro and the Venezuelan government."

[AspenRose]

1. .

:popcorn:

Can't wait to hear what Hugo has to say about this.

[Rainscents]

2. Me too!

:popcorn: :popcorn: :popcorn:

[MannyGoldstein]

3. Fucking Thugs

This is just disgusting.

Unless people are fired, it's clearly US policy.

[indepat]

41. Members of the goon squads are merely doing their jobs as do torturers

[NMDemDist2]

4. oh for fuck's sake

:banghead:

the Foreign Minister of another sovereign nation. during the UN's busiest week of the year

good grief :banghead:

[Frazzled Educator]

25. Wow. . .I never thought we'd become a third world nation

in my life time.

It took Bush exactly 6 years to turn us from the World's Beacon of Hope to the World's Biggest Schoolyard Bully. Now, we're the World's Biggest International Law and Treaty Breaker.

G-d help us all.

[tenshi816]

37. Even visitors to the US from its allies

get bullied. I know several people in the UK who have told me they won't be going back to the States any time soon because they've been treated so badly when they try to enter the country (since 9/11, naturally...). I know one man who was separated from his children and taken to a room for questioning, for no reason that was ever made clear to him - it was a deeply frightening experience for his family.

My husband visits only reluctantly ever since a US immigration official aggressively badgered him about why he didn't have an American passport since he's been married to an American citizen for many years. Hubby's response of "I don't want an American passport" provoked a telling off and a threat not to allow him into the USA. I used to think things like this were isolated incidents, but I've heard too many anecdotes to the contrary.

[KansDem]

38. And I thought life was supposed to get better when you got older...

I never thought we'd become a third world nation in my life time

Really, when I was a child, I thought everyone worked together to make sure life was good for all. When I saw injustice and despair, I thought that it was just an anomaly and that eventually life would be better for those affected, because we'd all work together to make it so. But now, Bush and his gang of thugs and cutthroats have put the "World's Beacon of Hope" straight into the crapper. And now I really have doubts that "things will get better." At 53 years old, this is the worse I've ever seen it...and I really have doubts it will get better.

[tabasco]

42. I'm 48 and I feel the same way.

I've pretty much given up hope of national health care in my lifetime.

I really don't think the country will be able to reapir the damage of the Bush years in my lifetime.

In fact, it might get worse. They are still trying to destroy social security.

[Cassandra]

5. Does that mean France gets to strip search Bush?

I realize it will be a strain on those involved but we have to be fair.

[Lasher]

30. Now don't overreact.

They should strip search Condi and threaten to beat her. We didn't abuse Chavez, just his Foreign Minister.

[ThomCat]

6. I hope a few people had their careers ruined over this

f*ckup. That's just above and beyond rediculous. :grr:

[BurtWorm]

9. I'm not sure their bosses will see it as a "fuckup."

I'll bet they've been enjoying the hell out of it in the WH.

[Garbo 2004]

10. Yeah, they're probably minting new medals for the occasion, the arrogant

bastards.

I look forward to current and former US officials being stip searched and harrassed on their future travels abroad. "Mr. Kissinger, please follow me. There are some small matters of consipiring to overthrow legally democratically elected governments we need to discuss with you. Our records show you've been involved with terrorist activities. I'm sure you'll understand our concerns and precautions. Now bend over."

[BurtWorm]

12. Condi is actually more in danger than anyone.

She is our "foreign minister."

[Benhurst]

14. Oh god. I won't be able to eat for a week. NT

:puke:

[Garbo 2004]

19. Except I figure they have security up the wazzoo and aren't subject

to the normal airport security procedures others have to go through. I rather doubt that Condi flies commercial or goes through security checks in other countries.

[BurtWorm]

20. Well, there isn't an Airforce 5.

I think she has to fly commerical at some point.

Not that I think she's really susceptible to this kind of insult, though.

[Garbo 2004]

22. They lease jets. Remember Ashcroft? Stopped flying commercial mid 2001.n/t

[BurtWorm]

23. Could be.

I really don't know. Did they all stop flying commercial after 9/11, or just chicken Johnny? :shrug:

[Garbo 2004]

24. Ashcroft stopped flying commercial months before Sept 11. Even private

trips (vacations) were taken on private jets. Which is why questions were raised, why was he doing that? He said it was on the advice of security.

As for Condi, one of the cable channels (Discovery-Times?) had a program some time back on State Dept security service and had video of them and Condi on trips abroad. My recollection was that Condi didn't fly commercial.

[pecwae]

27. Doubtful

they'll prob get promoted. HR cry within the fed "fuckup and move up!"

[Rainscents]

7. I have no doubt, this was done deliberately.

:grr: :grr: :grr:

[lvx35]

17. of course

Unless America always strip searches foreign ministers...

[malaise]

28. BIngo n/t

[Show_Me _The_Truth]

32. That's right, Venezuela staged this event

to get this exact reaction and talking point.

They did not even take the basic measure, as acknowledged by UN (not US) officials, of notifying DSS that a senior diplomat would be traveling through a commercial airport.

Now they have their "outrage."

How is a low-level security screener going to know what the hell a diplomatic pass looks like or is?

[Tesha]

39. Maybe the screeners should accord everyone basic human dignity? (NT)

Then they wouldn't have to worry about who's a diplomat
and who's not...

Tesha

[BurtWorm]

46. If this was Maduro's fault, why is the State Dept. apologizing?

Does this State Dept ever apologize for incidents it doesn't think it's guilty of?

[Show_Me _The_Truth]

51. How else do you treat a 4 yr old's temper tantrum in public

Most parents buy the child what he wants to keep him quiet. Hence, the "apology."

[leftchick]

52. and this administration has shown those parental qualities?

what an awful analogy. This administration has never admitted guilt of anything without the facts coming to light where they had to. EVER.

[blonndee]

48. Sure, he was willingly humiliated and strip-searched.

That sounds likely. :eyes:

[Show_Me _The_Truth]

50. More likely

than the State Dept. putting out a special notice to all low-level AP screeners to treat Venezuealn officials like this.

All it would have taken would have been one phone call to the DSS to have an escort through the airport, but that phone call was not made.

It would have taken hundreds of fliers and notifications at team meetings for the airport screeners to be notified that they needed to detain all Venezuelan officials. Not to mention getting the ticket agent to specially mark their boarding passes for the extra screening.

[Stephanie]

8. wow

when will these freaking bullies get their comeuppance? they know no bounds, and nobody stops them.

[donco6]

11. They said they were sorry. What do you want?

:sarcasm:

I didn't think we could get any more Gestapo-like. I've sadly underestimated.

[Sydnie]

13. They operate under the

"it's easier to ask for forgiveness than it is to ask for permission" doctrine I see. Do it, then ask to be pardoned for the intrustion.

As stated up thread - they are thugs!

[geek tragedy]

15. If you read carefully, the State Dep't only admitted

that some kind of incident occurred--they didn't acknowledge any details.

Just saying . . .

[BurtWorm]

18. They didn't say anything about the strip search, you're right.

Which makes me think they *can't* say there wasn't a strip search, which would at least mitigate the story.

[lvx35]

16. What a fucking joke.

The most offensive part is hearing CNN etc report with a strait face "it was an accident which occured because he did not alert the airport he was coming". How fuckin' stupid do they think they are?

[spag68]

21. they think we are very stupid.

[BrotherBuzz]

26. He's in grand company with the likes of the late great Ann Richards

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LA1dfHqLTc

[dogday]

29. I posted a thread about this and asked if

this was political payback? We know the Bush Administration is into big payback, this seems par for the course...

[Show_Me _The_Truth]

31. Your OP title is BULLSHIT and Purposefully Misleading.

NOWHERE does any US official apologize for "verbally abusing and strip searching" Maduro.

The only thing it says is that they took him and further questioned him, then diplomatic secrutiy came to resolve the issue.

If this arrogant prick had done things correctly, like have his embassy notify DSS ahead of time, then he would have have diplomatic security representative throughout his entire trip through the airport and this would never have happened.

Even UN (not US) representatives acknowledge Maduro did not even make a BASIC effort to notify the State Department or DSS as is customary when a diplomat travels through a commercial airport.

THIS IS ALL BULLSHIT. I will even say this was staged by Venezuela to get this exact reaction.

[BurtWorm]

33. The State Department apologized and admitted there was "an incident"

Now why would they do that if all that happened was the FM was delayed for an hour? Granted, the US did not admit that Maduro's story (which he told the BBC) was correct. Maybe it is bullshit after all. But your story is probably bullshit too. The source for your story? An "anonymous White House official." What is a White House official doing poking his nose into this story? They're not in charge of security at airports. :wtf:

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/24/nyregion/24maduro.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

CNN, quoting an anonymous White House official, said that Mr. Maduro, his wife and their child, arrived at the airport 30 minutes before their scheduled flight yesterday and paid for their tickets in cash. He was asked to go through a second security check but refused and started making a call on his cellphone, the official told CNN.

The official said that Mr. Maduro informed airport security that he was a diplomat only after his travel documents, including his passport, had been confiscated.

The official also said that after the disagreement was resolved, the foreign minister was given permission to board the plane, but chose to remain in New York.

[Show_Me _The_Truth]

35. Whitehouse was most likely called for comment.

Easy to see how that could happen, by just looking t the facts

1) a high ranking diplomat was detained by airport security and the State Department Security Service had to respond to resolve the issue.
2) Such diplomat's Head of State just delivered a scathing diatribe at the UN Assembly days before this incident
3) Such official is screaming bloody murder and filing complaints with the UN
4) The Head of State is speaking of coup's and blaming the Whitehouse DIRECTLY for this incident.

So, given the facts above, who would be on the list of people you call for comment? Think the organization who is being blamed for this incident might be on that list so they have a chance to respond, you know that whole both sides of the story thing?

That is how the Whitehouse got involved. Of course they are going to be briefed given the same facts above.

The UN got involved for the same reasons above (and said the same thing).

But a UN diplomat said Maduro's passage was delayed at John F. Kennedy International Airport because he showed up late without a ticket.

The diplomat, who spoke condition of anonymity, said under U.S. government regulations, anyone who shows up late and buys a ticket in cash has to be put through secondary screening at the airport.

Maduro missed his flight because of this, said the diplomat. He added officials did what they could to put him on the flight but there wasn't enough time.

http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/news/shownews.jsp?content=w092377A

[BurtWorm]

40. The WH would ordinarily pass any query on to the relevant department.

Especially if it had no involvement in the incident. All the WH had to say was "We know nothing about this incident." Why is the WH telling CNN who was with Maduro, how long he took at the airport, etc? I'm not saying they orchestrated this, only that it's very strange for *them* to be laying out the story of the incident for the media. If you call the WH for comment, do you expect their response to be anything but a denial that they had anything to do with it?

[Show_Me _The_Truth]

44. Never said they had anything to do with it

The protests were made to and about the way he was treated, saying that it was GWB who orchestrated it directly and on purpose.

How would the WH denials for information have played? I suspect Chavez would have used that as more "evidence."

They didn't say anything specific, only that the information they had said X is what happened. They were in essence relaying information that was passed to them.

[BurtWorm]

45. Which is suspicious. Why be anonymous about it?

If you're just innocently passing along information?

[BurtWorm]

47. I wonder if that "UN dimplomat" was John Bolton.

Seems to have a lot of info about US govt regulations for security screenings. If it isn't Bolton, it's someone on Bolton's staff.

[warrens]

34. This had nothing to do with the Chavez speech

So don't you lieberals start saying that. You can't prove it. It was just a coincidence. No one sent an email saying this guy was going to be at Kennedy Airport at such and such a time and to give him a really hard time, up to and including a cavity search. You can't prove anyone sent that email because we classified it top secret. So stop making wild, unsubstantiated leftie charges. It was just an innocent mistake.

[Imagevision]

36. Too bad the dude didn't just laugh in their face stating viva Chavez!

[City Lights]

43. Wow. How professional.

Waiting to hear from Rangle and Pelosi on this incident...

[GeorgeGist]

49. By George...

they are dependable assholes aren't they.

[Evergreen Emerald]

53. ohmygod...we suck

Why would we stoop to that? Was it retaliation for Chavez's speeches?

This is terrible. We have become what the world believes we are.