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Seven-Year-Old Tweet Puts DNI Tulsi Gabbard in Social Media Spotlight Following Maduro’s Arrest
A seven-year-old social media post from Director of National Intelligence (DNI) Tulsi Gabbard has gone viral, sparking renewed discussion online after the recent arrest of former Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The couple now faces U.S. charges related to an alleged narco-terrorism conspiracy.
Gabbard’s resurfaced tweet, originally posted in 2019, cautioned against U.S. military intervention in Venezuela. “The United States needs to stay out of Venezuela.
Let the Venezuelan people determine their future,” she wrote. “We don’t want other countries to choose our leaders- so we have to stop trying to choose theirs.”
In another post from the same period, the former Congresswoman highlighted a historical pattern of the U.S. successfully removing authoritarian leaders but then struggling to establish lasting democracies. “Throughout history, every time the U.S. topples a foreign country’s dictator/government, the outcome has been disastrous,” Gabbard stated. “Civil war/military intervention in Venezuela will wreak death and destruction to Venezuelan people, and increase tensions that threaten our national security.”
These comments were made during Venezuela’s 2019 humanitarian crisis, a time when U.S.-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido appeared close to overthrowing Maduro’s regime. A veteran of the Iraq war, Gabbard, then a Democratic representative from Hawaii, has consistently voiced opposition to U.S. intervention in foreign nations. She also included a clip of a Fox News interview where she criticized the first Trump administration for what she perceived as “increased saber rattling and tensions” pushing the U.S. toward “yet another wasteful counterproductive regime change war… under the guise of humanitarianism.”
Following the arrest of Maduro and Flores, Gabbard’s past statements have gained fresh attention, with many social media users commenting that the posts “didn’t age well.” One user ironically remarked, “Thanks for speaking out.
I’m sure the U.S. will take your point and stay out of Venezuela.” Another simply asked, “Any update on this one?”
A third commenter expressed initial positive surprise, stating, “I thought this was just posted and almost gained a ton of respect for her.”
Maduro and his wife arrived in New York City on Saturday, where Maduro will be held at the Metropolitan Detention Center, a facility known for housing high-profile inmates.
The future of Venezuela remains uncertain. President Trump has indicated his administration’s intention to “run” Venezuela during a transitional period, stating, “we’re going to rebuild the oil infrastructure, which will cost billions of dollars; it will be paid for by the oil companies directly. And we’re going to get the oil flowing the way it should be.”