"Desperate desire to attack Venezuela makes officials of [US President Donald] Trump, his propaganda bodies and his Venezuelan stooges [opposition] repeat any lies that they come across. Fake news is a destructive weapon, albeit an awkward one. Here is an example," Moncada posted on Twitter, adding a link to Sputnik's report about Abrams' conversation with the pranksters.
READ MORE: US Envoy Tried to Freeze Made-Up Venezuelan Accounts in Swiss Banks in Prank
The pranksters were reportedly trying to discover Washington's plans to oust the legitimate Venezuelan government rather than play a trick on Abrams, who ended up giving the callers a US sanctions list featuring over 100 Venezuelan nationals, including President Nicolas Maduro.
Venezuela's political crisis escalated in January, after opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president and was backed by the United States, Colombia and Brazil, among others.
Maduro called Guaido a US puppet and accused Washington of plotting an invasion. US National Security Adviser John Bolton said over the weekend that Washington would form a coalition to replace Maduro, who is supported by Russia, China, Cuba and other nations.
