“It is a decision that will be reversed”

In the 557th edition of his television program With the Gavel Givingthe Venezuelan Minister of the Interior and Justice recognized the real and moral damage that caused the United States bombing of Caracas and three other states of the Caribbean country in the early hours of January 3, not only to Chavismo, but to all of Venezuela.

For him, bombing Venezuela and capturing Maduro “is a decision of the United States Government that, sooner rather than later, they will be reversedand they will be reversed because the reality is there. “The entire world today knows that Nicolás Maduro is a prisoner of war, it knows that imperialism violated all the norms of international coexistence.”

He highlighted the phrase that “the Bolivarian revolution is the only guarantee of peace” for Venezuela, but recognized that “the last 27 weeks have been a permanent siege” for Venezuela, although “the extent may not have been measured” by Maduro, who was injured in the leg, or his wife, injured in the head and body during the capture, he said.

“Venezuela was the victim of a barbaric attackdevious, where so far there are 100 dead, 100, and another similar number of wounded,” Cabello said, exposing the first official number of casualties recorded during the US attack.

Cabello dedicated his program to those “martyrs and fallen heroes.” Hence, on this occasion the usual jokes and mockery against the opposition were omitted, although with the exception of mentioning that the anti-Chavistas were deceived and that that famous phrase “you are out of ranking” that the late president Hugo Chavez he once said in Parliament to the opposition leader Maria Corina Machadowas now revived by the United States, which did not consider it in its plans.

“None of them (opponents) have the capacity to lead and keep this people in peace, it is with the Bolivarian revolution that peace can be guaranteed,” he insisted.

The fundamental task

Cabello’s power over Venezuela’s police forces became official on August 27, 2024, when in the midst of post-election protests Maduro appointed him Minister of Justice, but before that he already controlled security forces, shock groups and armed paramilitaries.

Invested with that authority, Cabello ratified his support for the acting president, Delcy Rodríguezand thus sought to dispel doubts about differences within Maduro’s Chavista entourage and stand up to the threat from the United States that, according to two sources told the agency Reutersthey put him as a priority on their list of objectives, unless he collaborates with the provisional person in charge of the Venezuelan Government.

“We are absolutely and totally accompanying Comrade Delcy,” he said and celebrated her bravery.

In an hour and a half of the program, the minister showed videos of civilians affected by the bombings who regretted being the “collateral damage” of the United States military action, in addition to emphasizing that in Venezuela “there was nothing in any circumstance that would force a military attack.”

He also recalled some speeches by Chávez, who said on several occasions that the United States intended to accuse him of being a “drug trafficker” to justify his overthrow or a military incursion and, in that context, Cabello made it clear that “the fundamental task” is for Maduro and Cilia to return to Venezuela.

For him it is not an impossible task, as he stressed that “the truth” accompanies them. He cited as an example of this that the US Department of Justice lowered the status of the Cartel of the Suns as a terrorist group, now calling it a “clientelism system” and eliminating Maduro as the leader of that alleged drug trafficking organization.

“Those who issued resolutions condemning the Cartel of the Suns, now what are they going to do with their resolution if the US said that the Cartel of the Suns did not exist. What a shame, a lot of shame and shame should it give them,” he asked.

The minister spoke to all Venezuelans, asked them to repudiate acts that are detrimental to their country, and assured that no action will prevent them from following the path of the so-called Bolivarian revolution that has been ruling Venezuela for 26 years.

“Our fundamental task is to bring Cilia and Nicolásand we will achieve it sooner rather than later. They have turned Cilia and Nicolás into heroes, not only nationally, but for the world, for their bravery, for their strength, for their humility, but above all for their dignity and firmness,” the soldier concluded before saying goodbye and reminding Venezuelans that the actions that have occurred not only harm Chavismo.