U.S. hits Venezuela with more sanctions ahead of vote

The Trump administration hit Venezuela with new sanctions Wednesday targeting 13 current or former top officials in President Nicolas Maduro’s government, and threatened more penalties if he goes through with efforts to rewrite the beleaguered country’s constitution.

The fresh sanctions were intended to dissuade Maduro from holding a controversial election, scheduled for Sunday, for a constituent assembly charged with overhauling the country’s charter, Trump administration officials said.

They targeted four senior Venezuelan officials that the U.S. said were promoting that election or undermining democracy in Venezuela, along with five others implicated in violence or repression amid the country’s political crisis.

Four more Venezuelans linked to Venezuela’s state oil company or other government-run institutions were also penalized in what the Treasury Department described as an effort to crack down on corruption and Venezuela’s black market. The sanctions freeze any assets the individuals have in the U.S. and bar Americans from doing business with them.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin suggested more penalties could be coming unless Maduro’s government changes course.

“Anyone elected to the National Constituent Assembly should know that their role in undermining democratic processes and institutions in Venezuela could expose them to potential U.S. sanctions,” Mnuchin said.