Some of the generals in Venezuela's military have started to align themselves with the country's National Assembly, whose leader claimed last week he is the new acting president, National Security Adviser John Bolton said Monday.
Bolton spoke at the daily White House press briefing and was asked about the situation in Venezuela, which is in chaos after Juan Guaidó declared himself in charge. Current President Nicolás Maduro still believes he is in control, despite the fact that the United States and other nations view Guaido as the leader of the socialist nation.
"Our assessment based on numerous contacts on the ground is that the rank and file of the Venezuelan military is acutely aware of the desperate economic conditions in the country," Bolton said. "We think they look for ways to support the National Assembly government. We think the junior officer ranks and the mid-level officer ranks are the same."
Bolton announced sanctions on Venezuela's state-owned oil company PDVSA at the same briefing.
"We are also aware of significant contacts between general officers of the Venezuelan military and supporters of the National Assembly," he said. "So you may have seen a statement last week by the defense minister Vladimir Padrino, flanked by a number of generals in uniform. What they didn't know was how many of them were already talking to the National Assembly."
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