US Congresswoman MarĂa Elvira Salazar (right) and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio (left). Photo: Facebook/@mariaelvira.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—Cuban-born, rabidly anti-communist US Congresswoman MarĂa Elvira Salazar confessed in a video published on social media that the goal of US imperialism is to totally cut off Venezuela’s oil incomes by asphyxiating the state oil corporation PDVSA.
In the video posted on Friday, March 28, former CNN anchor and current Florida Congresswoman Salazar admitted to following advice from Venezuelan far-right politician MarĂa Corina Machado in all actions aimed at destabilizing the government of President Nicolás Maduro.
Salazar said in the video, “We Cubans would like to have a MarĂa Corina Machado, and that is why we are always in contact with her so she can tell us what she believes needs to be done.”
La congresista de Estados Unidos, MarĂa Elvira Salazar, afirmĂł que la propuesta de imponer aranceles a los paĂses que compran petrĂłleo a Venezuela fue de MarĂa Corina Machado. pic.twitter.com/m4L6rUrBvn
— Darvinson Rojas Sánchez (@DarvinsonRojas) March 28, 2025
The Republican congresswoman was explicit in the video, declaring, “I am going to do whatever MarĂa Corina tells me to do, whatever it may be.”
Salazar also outlined the US strategy to block all financial inflows to the Venezuelan state: “They cannot have any US money, Repsol’s money, Italian money, or money from anyone else buying oil from PDVSA, selling it on the international market, and then giving Maduro a cut.”
Cards of Anti-Venezuela Aggression up the Sleeves of the Rubio-Machado Duo
Despite having violated numerous Venezuelan laws, Machado has not yet been brought to justice, as demanded by millions of Venezuelans, including many people who do not support Chavismo. Some analysts interpret the continued freedom of Machado as a sign of weakness of the Maduro administration.
Salazar’s hostility extends beyond Venezuela. A vocal critic of Cuba’s socialist government, she has consistently advocated for tightening the US blockade against the island, framing it as a moral obligation to “liberate Cubans from communist tyranny.” She has accused Havana of human rights abuses and collusion with foreign powers, including Russia and Venezuela, to destabilize the region. In 2023, she co-sponsored legislation to block remittances to Cuban families, arguing that such funds “prop up the dictatorship” of Miguel DĂaz-Canel.
Similarly, Salazar has taken a hawkish stance toward China, aligning with hardline Republicans who view Beijing as a geopolitical threat. She has criticized China’s investments in Latin America, warning of “neo-colonial exploitation” and accusing the Communist Party of China of undermining democracy in the region. In the US Congress, she has pushed for measures to counter China’s influence in Latin America, including sanctions on Chinese firms operating in Cuba and Venezuela. Her rhetoric often links China’s rise to what she calls “global authoritarianism,” echoing US Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s confrontational approach in US-China relations.
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/JRE/SC
