TRANSCRIPT - US State Dept Ludicrous Claim: Long-Standing US Policy of Not Supporting Coups | Latin America

TRANSCRIPT  [for quotation purposes, confirm audio] SOURCE VIDEO  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frO1T3vZNrA&feature=youtu.be Via:  Democracy Now! Video Published:  11 Mar 2015 ---------------------- ꕤ  ---------------------- Female (Press) President Maduro last night went the on-air last night and said that they'd arrested multiple people who are behind a coup that was backed by the United States.  What is your response? US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki These latest accusations, like all previous such accusations, are ludicrous.  As a matter of long-standing policy, the United States does not support political transitions by non-constitutional means.  Political transitions must be democratic, constitutional, peaceful, and legal.  We have seen many times that the Venezuelan government tries to distract from its own actions by blaming the United States, or other members of the international community, for events inside Venezuela.  These efforts reflect a lack of seriousness on the part of Venezuelan government to deal with the grave situation it faces. Matt Lee (Press) The US has - whoa, whoa, whoa.  The US has a long-standing practice of not promoting - what did you say?  How long-standing is that?  I would [chuckle] - in particular in South and Latin America, that is not a long-standing practice. US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki Well, my point here, Matt - Matt Lee (Press) [Interjects] Not in this case - US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki - without getting into history, is that we do not support, we have no involvement with, and these are ludicrous accusation. Matt Lee (Press) In this specific case [?] US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki [Interjects] Correct. Matt Lee (Press) But if you go back, not that long ago, during your lifetime even. [background chuckle] US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki This is the last 21 years? [laughter] Matt Lee (Press) Well done.  Touché.  But, I mean - does longs-standing mean 10 years, in this case.  I mean, what is - US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki [interjects] Matt, my intention was to speak to the specific reports. Matt Lee (Press) I understand. But you said it's a long-standing US practice, and I'm not so sure.  It depends on what your definition of long-standing is. US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki [Interjects] We will - OK. Male (Press) [Interjects] [... inaudible ...] in Kiev.  Whatever we say about Ukraine, whatever - the change of government in the beginning of last year was unconstitutional and yet [chuckles] you supported it.  The constitution was not - the constitution - US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki [Interjects] That was also ludicrous. [Video cuts to Amy Goodman] Amy Goodman Democracy Now! That was State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki being questioned by reporters. Professor Miguel Tiner Salas, if you could respond to both that exchange and also Josh Ernest, State Department -- err, White House - spokesperson. Professor Miguel Tiner Salas Promona College I would have loved if that kind of exchange got a broader diffusion in the US press, but the fact is that it hasn't, and we continue to have the belief that the US does not - is not involved in unconstitutional change in Latin America and, as a historian, the record speaks just the opposite: from '53 in Guatemala, to the Dominican Republic, to Chile in '73, and through the ardent support of the Argentine military dictatorships, in Brazil.  And, if we want to go even closer, to 2002 in Venezuela, when the US did actually support a coup against the democratically elected Hugo Chavez - the shortest coup in the world and the coup that brought Chavez back to power.  And, then again, in Honduras in 2009 and, not shortly thereafter, in Paraguay with Fernando Lugo, where they said it was a democratic transition, when, in fact, it was an unconstitutional shift in power.  So, again, the notion that the US has not supported both military coups - directly, or through what they call 'soft power' - is really ludicrous and, in fact, we should turn the question around:  if they want to support democracy, I think the best thing the US can do, in the case of Venezuela and other countries, is to pull back and let things develop on their own.  I think you have a very strong opposition in Venezuela.  It can speak for itself.  And you have a government force and other social forces that are organised in those countries, and I think the best thing, in the case of Mexico and in the case of Venezuela, is for the US to stop intervening. --- end audio 3:38 --- ---------------------- ꕤ  ---------------------- US Supported Coups  (ie merely those mentioned in video) Latin America Guatemala, 1953 Dominican Republic Chile, 1973 Argentina Brazil Venezuela, 2002, Hugo Chavez Honduras, 2009 Paraguay, Fernando Lugo Europe Ukraine, 2014 OTHER (incl. list US coups)   Ecuadorian President Says The CIA Is Attempting To Overthrow His Government The CIA has a history of contributing to coups in Ecuador. Back in 1963, the CIA led a coup which deposed President Carlos Julio Arosemena because he criticized the United States and supported Fidel Castro’s revolution in Cuba. By Derrick Broze | March 25, 2015 SOURCE http://www.mintpressnews.com/ecuadorian-president-says-the-cia-is-attempting-to-overthrow-his-government/203701/ For Full Article (with links to further information, go to source) ꕤ