"Today at the State Department I submitted a new list of names of active and retired Venezuelan government officials who reside in or visit the United States, as well as family members who have benefited directly from the crimes committed in Venezuela", Simonovis said via Twitter on Thursday.
Hoy he consignado en el @StateDept una nueva lista de nombres de funcionarios gubernamentales venezolanos, activos, retirados que residen o visitan USA, así como de los familiares que se han favorecido directamente de los delitos cometidos en #Venezuela pic.twitter.com/lZUxqJQmgB
— Iván Simonovis (@Simonovis) February 27, 2020
The message made no mention of the Simonovis' purpose, but he presumably submitted the list as potential and possibly recommended targets for US sanctions.
The United States has officially endorsed the Venezuelan government of Juan Guaido who illegally proclaimed himself interim president of Venezuela in an attempt to oust the nation's sitting government led by Maduro. Russia, China, Turkey, and numerous other countries have said they recognise Maduro as the only legitimate president of Venezuela.
The United States has repeatedly sanctioned individuals linked to the Maduro government as part of a pressure campaign for a regime change. Maduro has accused the United States of attempting to force a change of government in Venezuela in order to claim the country's natural resources.
