On Monday’s broadcast of NPR’s “Morning Edition,” Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) stated that there is a legal basis to stop and board some oil tankers around Venezuela, but that’s “sort of beside the point.” And “we could cut off funds for” this kind of operation.
Smith said, “There is a legal basis for it…if you’re one of these vessels, if you’re flying under a false flag or no flag, and if you are engaged in illegal activities. This goes on all over the world. The dark fleet you referred to earlier, no one operates more dark fleet vessels than Russia, for instance. So this happens a lot. And there is a legal basis for boarding and stopping and inspecting. It’s a lot murkier if you get into the issue of seizing the asset.”
He continued, “But the legal basis is sort of beside the point. The reason these are being targeted amongst the at least dozens, if not more, of these vessels operating around the world is because the president wants to drive Maduro from power. This is about regime change and the conflict with Venezuela, much more than it’s about trying to enforce international laws against false flag vessels or dark fleet vessels.”
Later, in response to a question on cutting off funding for the campaign against Venezuela, Smith said that “we could cut off funds for this sort of operation, a bunch of things we could do, if the Republicans decide that their policy beliefs are greater than their fear of — their political fear, of Donald Trump. And we’re not there yet at this point. We’ve got to keep pushing.”
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