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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
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| Obama Order Freezes Assets of 7 Officials in Venezuela | Obama Order Freezes Assets of 7 Officials in Venezuela |
| (about 3 hours later) | |
| CARACAS, Venezuela — Citing “an extraordinary threat to the national security of the United States,” President Obama on Monday signed an executive order freezing any American assets belonging to seven Venezuelan law enforcement and military officials who it said were linked to human rights violations. | CARACAS, Venezuela — Citing “an extraordinary threat to the national security of the United States,” President Obama on Monday signed an executive order freezing any American assets belonging to seven Venezuelan law enforcement and military officials who it said were linked to human rights violations. |
| The sanctioned officials included the current and a former head of the intelligence police, a former commander of the National Guard and a prosecutor involved in filing charges against opposition politicians accused of taking part in conspiracies against the government of President Nicolás Maduro. | The sanctioned officials included the current and a former head of the intelligence police, a former commander of the National Guard and a prosecutor involved in filing charges against opposition politicians accused of taking part in conspiracies against the government of President Nicolás Maduro. |
| One of the opposition politicians charged by the prosecutor was Antonio Ledezma, the mayor of Caracas, who was jailed last month and accused of plotting to overthrow Mr. Maduro, an accusation that Mr. Ledezma has denied. The charges against him and others were based on fabricated or implausible evidence, according to the White House. | One of the opposition politicians charged by the prosecutor was Antonio Ledezma, the mayor of Caracas, who was jailed last month and accused of plotting to overthrow Mr. Maduro, an accusation that Mr. Ledezma has denied. The charges against him and others were based on fabricated or implausible evidence, according to the White House. |
| The others sanctioned included military and police officials. | The others sanctioned included military and police officials. |
| “We are deeply concerned by the Venezuelan government’s efforts to escalate intimidation of its political opponents,” the Obama administration said in a statement. | “We are deeply concerned by the Venezuelan government’s efforts to escalate intimidation of its political opponents,” the Obama administration said in a statement. |
| On Monday night, according to Reuters, Mr. Maduro went on television to denounce the American action. “President Barack Obama, representing the U.S. imperialist elite, has personally decided to take on the task of defeating my government and intervening in Venezuela to control it,” he said. | |
| He brought all seven sanctioned officials before the cameras and proclaimed them heroes. | |
| Other Venezuelan officials claimed that the United States was planning a military intervention. | |
| “We are a threat to the United States?” said Diosdado Cabello, the National Assembly speaker, in a speech invoking the story of David and Goliath. “What is being planned are attacks against our land, against our country, military attacks.” The United States has dismissed previous Venezuelan charges that it was trying to undermine or overthrow Mr. Maduro’s government. | |
| The Venezuelan foreign minister, Delcy Rodríguez, said on Twitter that Caracas was recalling its top embassy official from Washington for consultation, a diplomatic protest. The United States and Venezuela have not had ambassadors in each other’s capitals since 2008. | |
| The executive order carries out a law passed by Congress in December to levy sanctions on Venezuelan officials involved in human rights abuses during protests last year. It allows for the freezing of bank accounts, real estate or other property. | The executive order carries out a law passed by Congress in December to levy sanctions on Venezuelan officials involved in human rights abuses during protests last year. It allows for the freezing of bank accounts, real estate or other property. |
| It was not clear, however, whether the officials being sanctioned actually owned property in the United States. An administration official said that designating those to be sanctioned was a first step and that a search to see whether they had assets that could be frozen would now begin. | It was not clear, however, whether the officials being sanctioned actually owned property in the United States. An administration official said that designating those to be sanctioned was a first step and that a search to see whether they had assets that could be frozen would now begin. |
| The official, who was not allowed to discuss policy publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity, also said that in order to carry out sanctions of this type, the law required the president to declare the nation whose officials are sanctioned to be a national security threat. The official cautioned that the declaration was meant to meet the legal requirement and did not represent “a recategorization of the actual circumstances in Venezuela.” | |