the Chavez government after it was restored following the 2002 coup. "Rather it went on to tacitly endorse the oil strike -- in spite of the fact that it was preparing for a war in the Middle East, likely to reduce oil supplies, at the time. In December 2002 the White House supported the opposition's unconstitutional demand for early elections," Weisbrot said.

CEPR economist Mark Weisbrot said that U.S. financing of Venezuelan opposition groups violates the law. He urged for normalization of relations with Venezuela.Credit: Jeremy Bigwood

U.S. financing of opposition groups violates law

Weisbrot highlighted the critical role that U.S. financing of anti-Chávez groups has played in the ongoing political crisis and called for the Congress to investigate the issue further.

Referring to the NED’s financing of groups such as Sumate,in May of 2003 to pursue an electoral strategy "after all extra-legal means of overthrowing the government -- including a military coup and several oil strikes -- had been exhausted."

Undemocratic Venezuelan media

Weisbrot additionally called attention to the role of the media in Venezuela as the "most fiercely partisan opponents of the government" pointing out that even so, the media has never been censored by the Chávez government.

"A Los Angeles Times reporter interviewed one of the country's most respected pollsters, from the firm Datanalisis, Jose Antonio Gil. The firm's polls are often cited in the US press. According to the L.A. Times, he could see only one way out of the political crisis surrounding President Hugo Chavez. ‘He has to be killed,’ he said, using his finger to stab