@PatriciaMazzei
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Miami Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen have been banned from traveling to Venezuela.
President Nicolás Maduro announced Saturday that his government has created an "anti-terrorist list headed by George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, ex-CIA chief George Tenet, ultra right-wing Congressman Bob Menendez, by Marco Rubio, by the she-wolf Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, by Mario Diaz-Balart."
"The won't be able to come to Venezuela for being terrorists!" Maduro told raucous supporters in a speech. "Out of here, terrorists!"
All will be unable to obtain travel visas to the country. Maduro also unveiled the visa program for U.S. citizens Saturday, along with restrictions on U.S. diplomats. Menendez is a Democratic senator from New Jersey.
Nicaragua, a Venezuelan ally, said in December that it would ban Rubio and Ros-Lehtinen, both Republicans, from the Central American country to protest U.S. sanctions on members of the Venezuelan government. Rubio took to the Senate floor Friday to push for full implementation of the law, signed by President Obama in December.
Diaz-Balart, who is also a Republican, and Ros-Lehtinen took to Twitter on Saturday to characterize Venezuela's decision as an honor.
I've always wanted to travel to a corrupt country that is not a free democracy. And now Castro's lap dog won't let me! #quepena #maduro
— Mario Diaz-Balart (@MarioDB) February 28, 2015
Proud to be banned from #Venezuela by #Maduro. I'll continue to advocate for #humanrights #SOSVzla #SOSVenezuela
— Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (@RosLehtinen) March 1, 2015
I'm in good company: banned from entering #Venezuela by autocrat #Maduro w @SenatorMenendez @marcorubio @MarioDB + George W #Bush #SOSVzla
— Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (@RosLehtinen) March 1, 2015
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