Newly Exiled Venezuelan Opposition Leader Makes Rounds in Washington

The departure into exile of one of Venezuela's main opposition leaders — the ousted mayor of Caracas — speaks of a crisis, humanitarian and political, that is reaching new proportions. For most of the nearly two decades after the late President Hugo Chavez launched his Bolivarian revolution with the promise of spreading Venezuela's vast oil wealth among all its citizens, Antonio Ledezma — like many Venezuelans — chose to stay, wait and see. But in 2015, Venezuelan authorities seized the mayor and placed him under house arrest for voicing his opposition to the government of President Nicolas Maduro, Chavez's successor. Ledezma was charged with conspiracy and working to overthrow the Maduro government, and had been under house arrest until last Friday. More…