The State Department denies a Wall Street Journal report that the US offered Venezuela's Maduro amnesty.
A plan to motivate Maduro to resign before the conclusion of his term was reportedly suggested through an amnesty proposal.
On Monday, the State Department refuted a Wall Street Journal report stating that the Biden administration had proposed amnesty to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in exchange for him relinquishing his 11-year rule.
"Principal Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel stated during a press briefing on Monday that the administration has not made any offers to Maduro or others since the election."
The Wall Street Journal report stated that Patel's comments were in stark contrast to claims made by three people familiar with the Biden administration deliberations regarding secret meetings held in Doha, Qatar in June and September 2023 between the U.S. and Venezuela.
Despite the lack of information following the meetings, reports from last year suggest that Jorge Rodríguez, Maduro's chief adviser, and Juan González, the former senior director for the Western Hemisphere at the White House National Security Council, met at least twice to discuss various issues, including an alleged amnesty proposal, sanctions relief, according to a document posted by Maduro on X. The U.S. has never confirmed this information.
The Wall Street Journal report indicated that Maduro's top officers who are facing judicial indictments for conspiring to export cocaine to the U.S. may also be eligible for amnesty agreements.
The State Department did not respond to Planet Chronicle Digital's inquiries about the Wall Street Journal report, but a spokesperson for the White House National Security Council reiterated the department's assertions.
Vanessa Vidal Castellanos, Director of Strategic Communications and Assistant Spokesperson to the National Security Council, stated to Planet Chronicle Digital that no specific amnesty offers have been made to Nicolás Maduro or others since the July 28 election.
We are collaborating with our partners to explore various strategies to motivate Maduro to acknowledge the election results. However, the onus is on Maduro and Venezuela's electoral authorities to disclose the election results.
An amnesty proposal was allegedly suggested to motivate Maduro to resign before his term expired, according to the report.
Since the national election last month, Maduro has remained firm in his stance of not discussing arrangements for leaving office.
Although there are international demands for Venezuela's president to resign due to growing proof that he lost the election to opposition leader Edmundo González, Maduro remains unwilling to surrender his power.
Antony Blinken, the Secretary of State, has stated that after consulting with partners and allies worldwide, none of them have concluded that Nicolás Maduro received the most votes in the recent election.
"Edmundo González Urrutia won the most votes in Venezuela's July 28 presidential election, as evidenced by the overwhelming evidence."
The UN General Assembly has proposed to act as a mediator in the ongoing conflict in Venezuela.
Although there is increasing pressure for him to resign, Maduro's government has detained numerous protesters and opponents, retained military support, and appointed a Supreme Court that backs his decisions on elections.
Maduro's stance on stepping down remains unchanged.
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