Skip to content Skip to footer

NLG Calls on President Obama to Withdraw Executive Order Declaring Venezuela National Security Threat

President Obama issued Executive Order 13692, which declared a national emergency, calling Venezuela “an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States.”

New York—On March 8, 2015, President Obama issued Executive Order (EO) 13692, which declared a national emergency, calling Venezuela “an unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States,” and imposed sanctions on several Venezuelan officials. Now that he has publicly backpedaled on his claim, the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) calls on him to immediately withdraw the executive order.

On April 9, the day before the Summit of the Americas began in Panama City, President Obama backtracked on that claim. In an interview with the Spanish news agency EFE that received little coverage, Obama stated, “Venezuela is not a threat to the US and the US is not a threat to Venezuela.” Nevertheless, the EO remains in effect. Such a false declaration that a country poses a national security threat to the United States violates domestic and international law and serves only to further isolate the US in the region.

“If our President believes in the rule of law, he shouldn’t be making false declarations based on cynicism—especially ones with such serious consequences,” said NLG President Azadeh Shahshahani.

The EO was issued just months after congress passed sanctions legislation, the Venezuela Defense of Human Rights and Civil Society Act of 2014 and imposed unilateral sanctions on seven Venezuelan security and judicial officials allegedly involved in the government’s response to violent demonstrations in Venezuela that began in February 2014. Both the Sanctions legislation and the EO are part of a familiar strategy of using unilateral sanctions, illegal under international law, to destabilize and impugn a government that resists pressure from the US government and powerful business interests. The EO relies on the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) and the National Emergencies Act (NEA) for its authority to issue sanctions. The IEEPA gives the President the authority to block transactions and freeze assets to deal with an “unusual and extraordinary threat […] to the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States, if the President declares a national emergency with respect to such threat” (50 US Code § 1701).

Obama’s original claim appears to have been made solely to comply with the requirements of the IEEPA. Now that he has publicly admitted that Venezuela does not pose a threat to the US, the National Lawyers Guild calls on him to immediately withdraw EO 13692.

The NLG has sent seven delegations to observe elections in Venezuela. The report of its delegation to the 2013 presidential election and the ensuing audit can be found here.

Help us Prepare for Trump’s Day One

Trump is busy getting ready for Day One of his presidency – but so is Truthout.

Trump has made it no secret that he is planning a demolition-style attack on both specific communities and democracy as a whole, beginning on his first day in office. With over 25 executive orders and directives queued up for January 20, he’s promised to “launch the largest deportation program in American history,” roll back anti-discrimination protections for transgender students, and implement a “drill, drill, drill” approach to ramp up oil and gas extraction.

Organizations like Truthout are also being threatened by legislation like HR 9495, the “nonprofit killer bill” that would allow the Treasury Secretary to declare any nonprofit a “terrorist-supporting organization” and strip its tax-exempt status without due process. Progressive media like Truthout that has courageously focused on reporting on Israel’s genocide in Gaza are in the bill’s crosshairs.

As journalists, we have a responsibility to look at hard realities and communicate them to you. We hope that you, like us, can use this information to prepare for what’s to come.

And if you feel uncertain about what to do in the face of a second Trump administration, we invite you to be an indispensable part of Truthout’s preparations.

In addition to covering the widespread onslaught of draconian policy, we’re shoring up our resources for what might come next for progressive media: bad-faith lawsuits from far-right ghouls, legislation that seeks to strip us of our ability to receive tax-deductible donations, and further throttling of our reach on social media platforms owned by Trump’s sycophants.

We’re preparing right now for Trump’s Day One: building a brave coalition of movement media; reaching out to the activists, academics, and thinkers we trust to shine a light on the inner workings of authoritarianism; and planning to use journalism as a tool to equip movements to protect the people, lands, and principles most vulnerable to Trump’s destruction.

We urgently need your help to prepare. As you know, our December fundraiser is our most important of the year and will determine the scale of work we’ll be able to do in 2025. We’ve set two goals: to raise $86,000 in one-time donations and to add 1260 new monthly donors by midnight on December 31.

Today, we’re asking all of our readers to start a monthly donation or make a one-time donation – as a commitment to stand with us on day one of Trump’s presidency, and every day after that, as we produce journalism that combats authoritarianism, censorship, injustice, and misinformation. You’re an essential part of our future – please join the movement by making a tax-deductible donation today.

If you have the means to make a substantial gift, please dig deep during this critical time!

With gratitude and resolve,

Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy