The Associated PressPresident Donald Trump speaks during a meeting with Romanian President Klaus Iohannis in the Oval Office of the White House, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)
President Donald Trump is saying his government is talking to “various representatives” of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, but is refusing to say whether such dialogue is being conducted with socialist party boss Diosdado Cabello.
“We’re talking to various representatives of Venezuela,” Trump replied Tuesday when a reporter asked him whether the White House is talking to Cabello. “I don’t want to say who, but we are talking at a very high level.”
The Associated Press reported over the weekend that the U.S. has made secret contact with Cabello as close allies of Maduro’s inner circle seek guarantees they won’t face prosecution for alleged abuses and crimes if they cede to growing demands to remove him.
The U.S. considers opposition leader Juan Guaidó to be the legitimate president of the country.