Venezuela Could Go the Way of Cuba

Members of Congress denounced Venezuela's government Wednesday, echoing harsh criticism from the White House and likening the political situation there to Cuba under Fidel and Raúl Castro. Speaking at a briefing at the Capitol, Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., said Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro has consolidated power, corrupted the courts and removed checks on his executive authority while silencing political opposition. He has “condemned his own people to poverty, starvation and immense suffering,” while amassing wealth and power, Menendez said. “His actions are straight out of the play books of Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro and other brutal dictators,” the senator said the briefing held by the Congressional Hispanic Leadership Institute, a non-partisan group with connections to the Republican-dominated Congressional Hispanic Conference. More…