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Disastrous Venezuelan Coup Was Supported by Trump Admin Officials, Lawsuit Claims

An organizer of the ill-fated attempt to overthrow Maduro claims it was planned at various Trump properties and was chosen over a $500 million plan from Erik Prince.

An astonishingly bad attempt to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro was green-lit by two Trump administration officials, according to a breach of contract lawsuit filed by one of its organizers, ex-U.S. special operations sergeant Jordan Goudreau. A rag-tag group of volunteer fighters tried to covertly invade the country via boat in 2019 but they were quickly caught, leading to several deaths and the imprisonment of two ex-Green Berets. The Trump administration repeatedly denied any role in the operation but Goudreau claims he was given support by Drew Horn, a former aide to Mike Pence, and Jason Beardsley, a former soldier working for the Department of Veterans Affairs. Both officials strongly denied involvement and Pence’s office said the VP had never heard of Horn.

Goudreau detailed planning meetings at Trump properties in Florida and D.C. and said his security firm’s proposal to overthrow Maduro, and install U.S. ally Juan Guaidó, was chosen over an extraordinary proposal by Erik Prince to send in 5,000 troops at a cost of $5 million. Prince, who is Education Secretary Betsy DeVos’ brother, also denied involvement.