IV PARTICIPANTS AND USAID PARTNERS OUTED, AGAIN

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 CARACAS 001637

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD
DEPT PASS TO AID/OTI RPORTER

E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/16/2017
TAGS: PREL PGOV SCUL VE
SUBJECT: IV PARTICIPANTS AND USAID PARTNERS OUTED, AGAIN

REF: A. CARACAS 01033


B. CARACAS 01432

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Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR ROBERT R. DOWNES
FOR REASON 1.4 (D)


1. (C) During a presentation before the National Assembly
(NA) August 1, Amcit Eva Golinger and Mario Silva, host of
the stridently Chavista television show "La Hojilla," accused
33 former International Visitors (IV) Program participants
and several USAID partners of working on behalf of the USG to
"destabilize" President Chavez' "Bolivarian Revolution." The
Committee's decision to investigate the journalists produced
significant public backlash and was compared to the tactics
of the McCarthy era, including criticism from within Chavista
circles. Several of the affected journalists dismissed the
accusations and questioned the legality of a possible
investigation. Due to the public outcry surrounding the
presentation, the Committee has since denied any intention to
summon the 33 journalists. Golinger's campaign largely
failed, although prospective IV participants are increasingly
concerned over possible retaliation by the Bolivarian
Republic of Venezuela. End Summary.

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The Golinger List
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2. (C) During a televised presentation before the National
Assembly's (NA) Media Committee August 1, Eva Golinger, an
Amcit lawyer and ardent Chavista, and Mario Silva, host of
the BRV-affiliated television show "La Hojilla," accused 33
former International Visitors (IV) Program participants and
invitees, mostly opposition-oriented journalists, of serving
as "destabilizing agents" of the USG. Golinger alleged IV
participants worked directly and indirectly with U.S.
intelligence agencies to "debilitate and topple" President
Chavez' "revolutionary" government. Armed with a hand-drawn,
multi-colored flow-chart on cheap poster board, Golinger
argued that the USG, through its exchange programs, attempted
to infiltrate Venezuelan media outlets by influencing the
editorial tendencies of journalists in order to promote USG
interests.


3. (C) Golinger and Silva called on the Committee to
investigate the nature of the exchange programs, the
activities of the outed participants, and their funding
sources. As she has done on previous occasions, Golinger
presented "declassified" documents she acquired through a
FOIA request regarding the IV program, which included the
names of former program participants and invitees, program
itineraries, and the costs associated with the visits (ref.
A).


4. (C) Golinger also accused several USAID partner NGOs of
receiving funding and training from the USG in order to
"destabilize" the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (BRV).
Golinger named 15 NED-sponsored organizations, noted that
USAID has funded over 300 programs in Venezuela, and accused
OTI of fomenting anti-Chavez conspiracies in Venezuela.


5. (C) Following the presentation, the Committee ruled that
the 33 journalists would be summoned for formal questioning.
The legislative body expressed particular interest in three
journalists and requested they testify August 8, regarding
their participation in the exchange programs entitled "The
Role of the Media in a Democratic Society" and/or
"Investigative Journalism" as well as their connections with
the USG. Mauel Villalba, president of the Committee,
justified the decision, saying "journalism should not be used
as a tool to bring down the (BRV) Government."

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Public Backlash
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6. (C) The accused journalists dismissed Golinger's
"findings" and responded harshly to the Committee's decision
to summon them. They issued an August 8 communique to NA
deputies demanding to know the status of their hearing. They
noted that none of the journalists in question had been
formally called to testify before the NA, and argued that the
Committee did not have the legal authority to launch an
investigation. Fifteen of the named journalists followed up
August 13 asking that the NA allow them to formally present
their case.


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7. (C) In the days following the presentation, the affected
journalists and sympathizers mounted an impressive media
rebuttal. The local independent print, television, and
internet media were inundated with articles expressing
support for the 33 journalists and criticizing Golinger for
her lack of familiarity with the IV program. While some
former IV participants and invitees commented on their
positive experiences with the exchange programs, others
questioned why Chavista IV participants had conveniently been
left off of Golinger's list.


8. (C) Interestingly, some of the strongest criticism against
Golinger's allegations came from within the Chavista camp.
First Vice President of the NA Desiree Santos Amaral weighed
in August 3, saying she considered it excessive and
unnecessary to expose beneficiaries of USG programs to public
scrutiny when there is no (immediate) indication they broke
the law. Santos was quick to point out, however, that she
"did not doubt the Department's desire to buy the minds," of
journalists. Nevertheless, she called on the Committee to
dismiss its proceedings against those outed by Golinger.
Similarly, Daniel Hernandez, a member of the Committee,
expressed doubt that participation in an exchange program
amounted to a crime under Venezuelan law. (Note: Hernandez,
a former IV grantee, declined to participate in an exchange
program. He said Embassy personnel did not pressure him to
participate and treated him with respect. End Note.)

9.(C) Separately, during his weekly Sunday television show
August 12, former Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel praised
Santos for her dissension and referred to the Committee's
actions as "unacceptable." Rangel insisted that Golinger's
allegations played into the hands of the "empire" and as a
result dismissed her agenda as McCarthy-like. (Note: We are
almost certain that Rangel is a former IV participant, but
Post's records do not go back far enough to confirm this
widely-rumored belief. End Note.)


10. (C) As a result of the public outcry surrounding the
presentation, the Committee has attempted to sweep this issue
under the rug. The three "special interest" journalists were
never summoned on August 8 and the Committee has since denied
it ever intended to begin an investigation. To date, the
affected journalists have not jointly pursued a legal case
against Golinger or Silva. Roger Santodomingo, however, one
of the three journalists scheduled to be summoned August 8
and former editor of the on-line news forum "Noticiero
Digital," is pursuing legal action against Silva for
defamation of character stemming from comments Silva made on
"La Hojilla" (Ref. B).

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Golinger on the Defensive
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11. (C) In an apparent effort to pressure Chavistas into
publicly supporting her "findings," Golinger posted a series
of articles on the pro-government on-line forum Aporrea.org.,
criticizing Chavistas for turning a blind eye to
USG-sponsored exchange programs in Venezuela. In her
articles Golinger repeatedly warns that the BRV is riddled
with "infiltrators" that work to advance the "imperial
agenda" and questioned Desiree Santos' "revolutionary"
credentials.


12. (C) Separately, the local media reported that Golinger's
Caracas apartment was broken into while she gave a televised
interview. The opposition-oriented daily "Tal Cual" reported
August 14, however, that Golinger fabricated the story to
garner public sympathy. According to the daily, residents in
Golinger's building denied that such burglary occurred.

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Comment
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13. (C) Golinger's renewed efforts to portray USG-sponsored
exchange and funding opportunities as illegal and subversive
activities largely failed. Golinger and company were
apparently completely taken aback by the lack of support they
received from Chavista circles. Moreover, the duo gravely
miscalculated the opinion makers' response to their
allegations. The fact that Chavistas have participated in
the IV program likely fueled the backlash among Chavista
supporters. The NA staffer who escorted Golinger and Silva
to the NA Committee hearing, for example, had just returned
from a two-week U.S. visit organized by PAS.

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14. (C) Nevertheless, Golinger and Silva's attempts to
criminalize the IV program has taken its toll on former and
prospective IV participants. Former participants have been
subject to government harassment, while prospective
candidates fear BRV retaliation for their participation. It
is particularly hard to persuade Chavez supporters to
participate in a program they perceived as potentially
career-ending.

FRENCH