Bolton Threatens to Send Venezuela’s Maduro to Guantánamo Bay Prison

By Jessica Corbett

(CD) — National Security Adviser John Bolton—the neoconservative who’s played a key role in the Trump administration’s effort to overthrow the Venezuelan government—suggested on Friday that President Nicolás Maduro could find himself locked away in the U.S. military prison at the Guantánamo Bay Naval Station in Cuba if he does not soon step aside.

Bolton—who has repeatedly threatened U.S. military action to force out Maduro—made the threat in a “crazy” radio interview (mp3) with right-wing commentator Hugh Hewitt about President Donald Trump’s broader policy toward Venezuela, including the administration’s endorsement of self-declared “Interim President” Juan Guaidó, and sanctions imposed via executive order against the state-owned oil company, Petroleos de Venezuela, S.A. (PdVSA).

NSA John Bolton suggests Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro could end up in Guantanamo. Also seems like the Trump administration is expecting tomorrow to be showdown day in Venezuela as protests expected nationwide. Crazy interview: https://t.co/3lnZEUj7ch

— Eva Golinger (@evagolinger) February 1, 2019

According to the show’s official transcript, Bolton’s remarks came in response to a question about the various fates of other ousted heads of state:

HH: [Former Romanian President Nicolae] Ceausescu and [former Italian Prime Minister Benito] Mussolini met bad ends. [Former Ugandan President] Idi Amin and [former Haitian President Jean-Claude] “Baby Doc” Duvalier did not. Is that the choice facing Maduro right now?

JB: Well, I tweeted yesterday, you know, I wish him a long, quiet retirement on a pretty beach far from Venezuela. And the sooner he takes advantage of that, the sooner he’s likely to have a nice, quiet retirement on a pretty beach rather than being in some other beach area like Guantanamo.

In a tweet on Thursday, Bolton ha