Romney Campaign Press Release - President Obama Differs With Democrats On The Chavez Threat

This Week, President Obama Claimed Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez "Has Not Had A Serious National Security Impact" On The United States:

President Obama Has Claimed Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Does Not Pose A "Serious" National Security Threat To The United States. "Oscar Haza, a well-known Miami Spanish-language broadcast journalist and anchor, scored an interview this week in Washington with President Barack Obama in which Obama said Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has not posed a "serious" national security threat to the United States." (Patricia Mazzei, "Obama To Miami Anchor: Hugo Chávez Has Not Posed 'Serious' National Security Threat," Miami Herald, 7/10/12)

President Obama: "Overall My Sense Is That What Mr. Chávez Has Done Over The Last Several Years Has Not Had A Serious National Security Impact On Us." (Patricia Mazzei, "Obama To Miami Anchor: Hugo Chávez Has Not Posed 'Serious' National Security Threat," Miami Herald, 7/10/12)

Yesterday, The Obama White House Declined To Address The President's Comments At All:

Press Secretary Jay Carney: "I'm Going To Have To Refer You To The State Department On That." QUESTION: "In what way is Hugo Chavez's government in Venezuela not a serious security threat to the U.S.?" CARNEY: "You know what, I'm going to have to refer you to the State Department on that. I saw that story before I came out but I didn't read it so I don't know the underlying aspect of it." (Jay Carney, White House Press Briefing, 7/11/12)

• Click Here To Watch The White House Offer No Comment On The President's Remarks

But Prominent Democrats Have Been Vocal About The Dangers Posed By The Chavez Regime:

Senator Bill Nelson Has "Blasted" Chavez And Said The U.S. May Have To Treat The Venezuelan Government As "Hostile And Unfriendly" To America And American Interests. "Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida, at the end of a three-day visit to Venezuela on Saturday, blasted President Hugo Chavez for aiding Colombian guerrillas, blocking a recall referendum sought by the opposition and ignoring a flourishing black market for passports and other official documents that could fall into the hands of terrorists. 'We may reach the point where the U.S. has to treat this government as a hostile and unfriendly government to the U.S. and the U.S. interests,' said Nelson, a Democratic member of the Senate's Foreign Relations Committee." (Richard Brand, "Sen. Nelson Rails On Chavez, Policies 'Unfriendly' To U.S.," Miami Herald, 4/18/04)

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: The Chavez Regime Is A Threat To The United States. "Chavez took issue with comments Reid made just hours earlier to the National Press Club in Washington, citing the Venezuelan leader as among the threats facing the United States in 2007 because 'Chavez and (Cuba's Fidel) Castro want to put their leftist marks on young democracies.'" ("Venezuela's Chavez Takes Aim At Reid," The Associated Press, 1/19/07)

Senator John Kerry: Chavez's "Close Relationship With Fidel Castro Has Raised Serious Questions About His Commitment To Leading A Truly Democratic Government." "In his new statement, Kerry lumped Castro and Chávez together, accusing the Venezuelan leader of punishing political opponents and aiding drug traffickers. 'His close relationship with Fidel Castro has raised serious questions about his commitment to leading a truly democratic government,' the statement said." (Peter Wallsten, "Kerry Says Bush Is Soft On Chávez," Miami Herald, 3/23/04)

Senator Joe Lieberman Signed A 2009 Letter Asking Secretary Of State Clinton To Get Tougher On Chavez. "A group of Republican senators is asking Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton to get tough with Venezuela's Hugo Chávez over what they say are the South American leftist's accelerating human rights abuses. ... In a letter sent Wednesday to Clinton, the senators list several examples of 'worsening conditions' for Venezuela's civil society and political opposition, including the December arrest and ongoing detention of a judge whose parole of a jailed business leader infuriated Chávez. ... Joining the Republican senators was Joe Lieberman of Connecticut." (Howard LaFranchi, "Get Tough On Hugo Chávez, GOP Senators Tell Hillary Clinton," Christian Science Monitor, 7/21/10)