Venezuela: Two US citizens held after failed coup attempt are named

[malaise]

https://news.sky.com/story/venezuela-two-us-citizens-held-after-failed-coup-attempt-are-named-11983259
<snip>
Two US citizens arrested in Venezuela over alleged involvement in a failed attempted coup have been named by a former US soldier behind the operation.

Florida-based Jordan Goudreau, an ex-Green Beret, said Luke Denman and Aaron Berry were part of Operation Gideon aimed at "liberating Venezuela" by arresting President Nicolas Maduro.

[DFW]

1. Of all the people to lead Venezuela to depose Maduro

The USA, or any of its citizens, would be the LAST people Venezuelans would trust to help them out of their darkness.

Let me guess, Trump and Pompeo told Goudreau, Denman and Berry, "if you, or any of your foolish mission force should be caught or killed, the Secretary and I will deny any knowledge of your actions."

Considerable plausibility there, too, since Trump and Pompeo don't seem to possess much knowledge about anything at all.

[malaise]

2. I knew it was a Florida man before I read a word

Wonder what's the Mar-a-Lago connection?

[muriel_volestrangler]

3. Keith Schiller, Trump's bodyguard - see here:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142485582#post23

And especially:

According to White, Goudreau came back from the concert looking to capitalize on the Trump administration’s growing interest in toppling Maduro.

He had been introduced to Keith Schiller, President Donald Trump’s longtime bodyguard, through someone who worked in private security. Schiller attended a March 2019 event at the University Club in Washington for potential donors with activist Lester Toledo, then Guaidó’s coordinator for the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Last May, Goudreau accompanied Schiller to a meeting in Miami with representatives of Guaidó. There was a lively discussion with Schiller about the need to beef up security for Guaidó and his growing team of advisers inside Venezuela and across the world, according to a person familiar with the meeting. Schiller thought Goudreau was naive and in over his head. He cut off all contact following the meeting, said a person close to the former White House official.

In Bogota, it was Toledo who introduced Goudreau to a rebellious former Venezuelan military officer the American would come to trust above all others — Cliver Alcalá, ringleader of the Venezuelan military deserters.

https://apnews.com/79346b4e428676424c0e5669c80fc310

[malaise]

5. Damn!

This is a thugfest. Thanks.

[DFW]

4. Conceivably only a tenuous connection at best

Remember, guys who participate in this kind of foolishness could just as easily be armed nut cases who spend most of their time in shacks in the Everglades chatting with fellow conspiracy theorists. It takes some kind of isolation from reality to think they could successfully pull off a stunt like that.

*on edit--just saw the article above. Still a tenuous connection, but still, a connection. Even so, where Trump might not have seen the obvious likelihood (and negative consequences) of failure, Pompeo would have, and would have made sure that his and Trump's names were nowhere near this ridiculous operation.

[duforsure]

6. Lookout everyone

Trump's daily lying spree will be starting soon , and he'll threaten them today , then claim something he'll make up , again, all lies . He's already attacking China more , but he has no clue our prescription drugs materials almost all come from China, and if they cut that off he would see the light and do another flip flop on his statements towards them. He's escalating this for redirection away from his failure to stop it , and that's his pattern. All his policies with this have failed, and now him and Moscow Mitch are trying to prevent any more direct stimulus payments from getting to the people, and he's threatening not to sign any more funding unless his big corporate buddy'd get more , which he likely has a deal with them , give me some in my campaign funds, and you get money , our money. He'll use these people in Venezuela getting caught as another diversion.