Vowing to Lead the Fight to List Venezuela as Terrorist State, Connie Mack Writes to Hugo Chavez

From his perch as the ranking Republican of the House Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, U.S. Rep. Connie Mack of Florida wrote to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Monday, insisting that he will continue the fight for Congress to recognize Venezuela as a state sponsor of terrorism.

As the ranking Member of the House Western Hemisphere Subcommittee in the U.S. Congress, and as a strong advocate for freedom, I want to make it very clear how strongly I oppose your words and deeds, both against the people of Venezuela and your neighbors in the hemisphere, wrote Mack.

Your regime has demonstrated a clear support for terrorism, most recently in the special session of the Organization of the American States (OAS), insisted Mack. Your ties to and support of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) is strong.Your reactionary response to the OAS by cutting off diplomatic and economic relations with Colombia, followed by sending Venezuelan troops to the Venezuela-Colombia border, is an outrageous provocation and is unacceptable.

Your support of terrorist organizations, your constant assault on free speech and free press in Venezuela, and your efforts to silence your political opposition is an attempt to quash freedom and liberty of all in our hemisphere, continued Mack. As long as you continue to choose tyranny over freedom, I will work tirelessly to officially designate Venezuela as a state sponsor of terrorism, and I will continue to develop support across bipartisan lines in Congress to do so.