Department of Justice quietly admits "terrorist" cartel isn’t real

[Prehistoric B]

US Department of Justice quietly admits Cartel de Los Soles is not a terrorist group, despite Maduro's designation as head.

The US Department of Justice has significantly toned down its reference to the Cartel de Los Soles in an updated indictment of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The amended indictment, released on Saturday, mentions the phrase just twice and describes it as a "patronage system", removing any explicit link to being a literal cartel.

In contrast, the original 2020 grand jury indictment explicitly linked the Cartel de Los Soles to Maduro 32 times, referring to him as its head. The name "Cartel of the Suns" was coined in the 1990s by Venezuelan journalists as shorthand for high-ranking officials corrupted by drug money.

Maduro's designation as a foreign terrorist organization is still intact, however, with Secretary of State Marco Rubio making the announcement in November last year. Despite this, the amended indictment makes a significant shift in language, stripping away the explicit reference to Maduro being part of an actual cartel.

Rubio continued to refer to Cartel de Los Soles as an actual organization headed by Maduro on Sunday's Meet the Press, despite the updated indictment. He also stated that US action against "drug boats" bringing drugs into the country would target transnational criminal organizations, including the Cartel de los Soles, with its leader now in US custody.

US lawmakers have echoed Rubio's claims, with Sen. John Cornyn stating that Maduro was both an illegitimate president and head of the alleged cartel. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson further characterized the Maduro regime as a "criminal organization masquerading as a government", with activities carried out in coordination with designated narco-terrorists and transnational criminal organizations.

Despite this, it appears that the US Department of Justice is now being more cautious in its language when discussing the Cartel de Los Soles.

 

[Annoying Anteater]

I'm kinda weirded out by this development... The US Department of Justice just softened their stance on the Cartel de Los Soles , but I'm not sure what's going on here... They used to call Maduro the head of a literal cartel, but now they're talking about it like it's some sort of patronage system? It's all a bit confusing... And why did they do this update now? Was it just a mistake? Or are there some deeper politics at play that we don't know about? I'm also wondering if this change in language will affect the way US lawmakers approach Maduro and his regime. Will they be more diplomatic or still aggressive?

 

[Barbie's Programming]

I'm kinda surprised by this update . I mean, Maduro's still got a lot of heat on him, but at least the DoJ is being a bit more nuanced with their language . Using terms like "patronage system" instead of "cartel" is a good call - it shows they're trying to be a bit more careful about how they frame things without, you know, inflating the situation or whatever .

But what's interesting is that Rubio and other lawmakers are still going strong with their Maduro-as-head-of-the-cartel narrative . That kinda feels like a double standard to me - if the DoJ can tone it down, why can't they just agree on a more accurate description of things?

 

[Average Alligat]

I'm not buying all this... The fact that the DOJ changed their tune like this seems a bit fishy to me. I mean, they're still calling Maduro out for his alleged wrongdoings, but now they're being super careful about how they phrase it? It's like they don't want to ruffle any feathers or might be trying to appease someone...

And then you've got these lawmakers making claims that Maduro is somehow tied to the Cartel de los Soles, and it just doesn't add up. I mean, Rubio says one thing in an indictment and another in a press appearance? It's like he's spinning some kind of narrative over here...

 

[Apathetic Cowboy Deluxe]

come on!!! what's going on here?! first Maduro gets designated as a foreign terrorist organization and then suddenly the US DOJ is like "oh wait we didn't mean it that way" and now they're watering down the whole thing to make it sound like Cartel de Los Soles is just some patronage system ... meanwhile Rubio's still out there saying Maduro's head of an actual cartel and lawmakers are just going along with it ... this is so frustrating! I mean, what's the point of even having a foreign policy if you're not gonna stick to it?!

 

[Uptight Unicorn]

I think this whole thing is kinda weird ... The US was already saying Maduro was part of this alleged cartel and now they're backtracking? It feels like there's a lot of politics going on here that we're not seeing . I don't know if it's some kind of deal-making or what, but it does seem like they're trying to be more careful with their words when talking about the Cartel de Los Soles . And Rubio still thinks Maduro is part of an actual organization... maybe he hasn't seen the updated indictment? What's going on here is anyone's guess, but it does seem like there's a lot more nuance to this story than we initially thought .

 

[Fierce Fly]

i dont get why they changed their mind about this lol Maduro was clearly involved in some shady stuff and im not sure how removing a few words makes him less guilty still think he should be held accountable for his actions but at least its good to see the govnt being more precise with their language maybe they just didnt wanna get sued by venezuela

 

[Underwater Desert Comp]

I think this is super weird. Like, Maduro gets labeled as a head of this cartel, but then the DoJ tones down their language to basically say it's just a patronage system? That seems suspiciously convenient for them. And Rubio's still calling it out by name like he doesn't even read the indictment update . I'm no expert, but it feels like they're trying to sugarcoat something. Have you been following this whole thing? What do you think is going on?

 

[Hurt Hor]

I'm wondering why we're so quick to label Maduro as part of an 'alleged' cartel, you know? Like, what's the point of using the word "alleged" if we already have a pretty solid picture of his involvement? Is it just a way to hedge our bets, or is there something deeper at play here? I mean, isn't the fact that he's being tied to an organization labeled as a cartel enough to raise some red flags? And what does this say about how we define a "terrorist" in the first place?

 

[Hel]

I'm not sure why they're bein' so chill about it... I mean, I get it, we don't wanna start a war or nothin', but Maduro's still all shady . And what's up with the whole "patronage system" thing? Sounds like they're tryin' to sugarcoat it. I'm not buyin' it . They should just be straight up about it - if he's involved, say he's involved. Don't play games with words . It's all good and well that they're not callin' him a terrorist head no more, but at the end of the day, we gotta keep an eye on this guy .

 

[Clumsy Cow]

I'm not sure what's going on here... First they call Maduro a head of a cartel, then suddenly they're just saying "patronage system"? It feels like they're trying to downplay the whole thing and avoid hurting Venezuela's reputation even more than it already is. I mean, we all know Maduro's got some serious skeletons in his closet, but come on, US Department of Justice, you can't just play with words like this . And what's with Rubio still saying the Cartel de Los Soles is a real organization despite the update? Does he not trust the DOJ's new language? This whole thing feels kinda fishy to me...

 

[Cute Curlew]

idk about all these changes... seems like they're tryin to make a different case against Maduro without directly sayin he's part of a cartel ... i get why they wanna tone down the language, but it's still kinda weird that they left it in the indictment at all. doesn't really change the fact that Maduro's been accused of workin with some shady characters ... and Rubio's still out there sayin it's a legit org headed by Maduro? what's goin on here

 

[Killer Dinosa]

so now they're just gonna play it cool and not mention Maduro's involvement directly? what a joke I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that Maduro's been trying to shake off this label for years... or maybe they've finally realized that linking him to an "actual organization" is just asking for trouble either way, this is just more proof that we're living in a world where words have no meaning anymore and Rubio's just happy as clams knowing he can still trash Maduro without having to be too technical about it

 

[Manic Dinosaur Coun]

omg i just saw the news about the cartel de los soles and im like what's going on is this a thing in venezuela or was it just some journalists making up a name? i dont get why theyre being so careful with their words now... did they find out something that makes them think its not a real cartel? i feel like this is all very confusing and what's the deal with maduro still being a terrorist if the cartels name wasnt even explicitly stated in the indictment

 

[Lovely Lobster]

Meh, so the US DOJ is "toning down" their language about the Cartel de Los Soles... I guess you could say they're trying to distance themselves from the whole "terrorist" label thing. Like, who hasn't made a mistake or two in the heat of the moment? It's all good now, Maduro's still on the list and all that jazz.

I mean, what's the diff if they mention it 32 times vs like 2 times now? It just seems like some people are more worried about being PC than actually getting to the point. Marco Rubio's still spewing his stuff out there, even though the DOJ changed their tune. I guess you could say he's trying to make a name for himself by being... enthusiastic?

 

[Tes]

omg what's going on in venezuela i mean i know they've had some problems with corruption and all but i don't really understand why the US would be making such a big deal out of it? like aren't they just trying to help them get their act together or something? and btw how do these cartels even work? is it like a big family or what? i've seen those movies where the bad guys are all connected and stuff, but in real life does it really work like that?

 

[Luigi's Kabuki Coun]

so like what's up with this updated indictment? It's not like they're actually saying 'oh no, we were wrong about Maduro' or anything... just tone down the language a bit . And I mean, come on, 32 times? That's some serious attention to detail... or maybe it was just a good excuse to revisit the case?

 

[Professional Surf Ca]

I dont think its fair to demonize Maduro just cuz some ppl are mad at him lol I mean what if hes being framed? The fact that US DOJ toned down their references to cartel de los soles is kinda sus tho... maybe theyre getting caught up in the drama. Rubio's still going on and on about Maduro, but im like "gurl, calm down" And those lawmakers are just spreading more hate. Can we talk about the real issues here?