Feds nab four Venezuelan agents in Maleta-gate I

Wall Street Journal’s Evan Perez, Jose De Cordoba and Matt Moffett report that the feds arrested four Venezuelan agents of the Chavez regime in Miami who were planning to silence the main witness in the Maleta-gate I case I mentioned briefly Tuesday and Kate kindly left a comment to Spanish language Noticias24 last night;

U.S. prosecutors accused four foreigners arrested Tuesday night in Florida of being agents of the Venezuelan government who were seeking to silence a key figure in an Argentine election scandal.

The U.S. allegations are likely to further exacerbate U.S. tensions with the government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. It also could shine a spotlight on Mr. Chávez’s aid to political allies.

The case revolves around Guido Alejandro Antonini Wilson, a dual Venezuelan and U.S. citizen detained after arriving in Argentina on a flight from Venezuela in August. At the time, Argentine customs officials said they found $800,000 in a suitcase he was carrying. In Argentina, the discovery spawned allegations that the cash was sent from Mr. Chávez’s government to aid the election campaign of Cristina Kirchner, who was subsequently elected president of Argentina and took office Monday, succeeding her husband, Nestor.

In a federal court in Miami yesterday, U.S. prosecutors tied the cash Mr. Antonini Wilson was carrying to the Kirchner campaign. They contended that the four people arrested in Florida were part of a conspiracy seeking to pressure Mr. Antonini Wilson to remain quiet, in order to not do harm to the candidacy of Mrs. Kirchner.

So these clowns threatened Mr. Wilson to protect Christina Kirschner from fallout resulting from Chavez’ funding her campaign in Argentina. Bloodthirsty Liberal admits willingness to accept Venezuelan bribes to keep quiet. BTL’s CNN link has a little more information.

I wonder if any Chavez money is going to show up in the American campaign next year.

Category: Foreign Policy, Hugo Chavez