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False claim US invaded Venezuela | Fact check
By Isabel C. Morales, USA TODAY,
23 hours ago
The claim: The US invaded Venezuela
A July 31 Facebook post ( direct link , archive link ) shows a man reacting to purported U.S. military action following disputed election results in Venezuela.
“UNITED STATES INVADES VENEZUELA,” the post reads in Spanish. “Sent AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS George Washington and MADURO falls.”
The post was shared more than 1,000 times in four days.
The U.S. government said González defeated Maduro and called for a peaceful transition.
“Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that Edmundo González Urrutia won the most votes in Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an Aug. 1 statement.
However, Blinken did not mention anything about invading the country in the statement.
A U.S. invasion of Venezuela would be a major international news event, but there is no credible reporting about such a development. There is likewise no mention of any military action being taken against Venezuela on the State Department's website .
“The U.S. is not planning to invade Venezuela," Michael Shifter , a professor at the Center for Latin American Studies at Georgetown University, told USA TODAY. "The possibility of this happening is zero. The Trump administration vaguely hinted at the use of force in Venezuela, but it was never a realistic option.”
The deployment of U.S. troops overseas for hostile engagements requires both congressional and presidential authorization in most cases, as stated in the War Powers Resolution . Congress has not passed any bills authorizing military acti on against Venezuela as of Aug. 5.
The post also states that the U.S. sent the USS George Washington, an aircraft carrier, to Venezuela. But on July 24, the carrier was in San Diego, California, and it was due to head to Japan in August, according to KPBS. The Facebook post did not provide any credible evidence to support its claims.
USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
USA TODAY is a verified signatory of the International Fact-Checking Network, which requires a demonstrated commitment to nonpartisanship, fairness and transparency. Our fact-check work is supported in part by a grant from Meta .
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