Venezuela ousts three U.S. diplomats

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced Monday that he is expelling three U.S. diplomats because of their supposed involvement in sabotage against the country. Maduro said that the three diplomats were meeting with right-wing political opponents of Venezuela, and were supporting an effort to sabotage the country’s electrical system and economy. “Get out of Venezuela,” Maduro said on a broadcast on VTV.  “Yankee go home. Enough abuses already.” Maduro said that the three people, including top U.S. diplomat Kelly Keiderling, “have 48 hours to leave the country.”

However, a U.S. State Department spokesperson said: “We have seen Maduro’s televised announcement but we have not received any official notification of expulsions. We completely reject the Venezuelan government’s allegations of U.S. government involvement in any type of conspiracy to destabilize the Venezuela government.”

Since beginning his presidency, Maduro has made around 11 accusations of plots to destabilize the country or to assassinate him. He also cancelled his trip to New York for the United Nations General Assembly, because he felt he would be in danger.