Venezuela Expels US Embassy Staff, Accused of Causing Chavez Cancer

Hours before announcing the death of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Venezuelan officials expelled two members of U.S. embassy personnel and said “historic enemies” were to blame for Chavez’s cancer.

The two U.S. embassy officials–U.S. Col. David Delmonico and an unnamed member of the U.S. Air Force–were given 24 hours to get out of the country.

Both were accused of trying to “destabilize” Venezuela by allegedly attempting to recruit members of the Venezuelan military to be part of some U.S. led conspiracy. 

Venezuelan Vice President Nicolas Maduro appeared on television to say, “Behind all the plots are the enemies of the fatherland.” And he said the U.S., in particular, had tried to created “an anti-Venezuelan climate.”

Similar accusations were made against the U.S. in December 2011, when Chavez suggested that a technology “created by the U.S.” might have been used to induce his cancer to begin with.