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Former Miss Venezuela blames ‘socialism and open borders’ for her country’s devastating collapse
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Americans unfamiliar with Venezuela may not know that in the not-so-distant past the nation was rich with oil and opportunity.
Congressional candidate Carmen Maria Montiel remembers a Venezuela that brimmed with optimism — before decades of political and economic turmoil turned it into one of the hemisphere’s poorest nations.
«Socialism and open borders,» Montiel told Fox News Digital in an interview, are what sent her country into decline.
The Houston-area Republican won the Miss Venezuela title at age 19 in 1984 and later finished as a runner-up for Miss Universe. But long before her pageant fame, she says, Venezuela’s political foundations were already beginning to crack.
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Venezuela-born Carmen Maria Montiel is running for Congress as a Republican in Texas. (Fox News digital)
While the nation remained a democracy for decades, two socialist parties dominated power.
«We got the influx of illegal immigrants, crime went up, drugs started to be a problem,» she said. «The first thing they destroyed was the healthcare system. Venezuela used to have one of the most wonderful healthcare systems — it was paid for, it was our social security. Because the country was so rich, it provided so many services to the Venezuelan people. And of course, no country has the infrastructure for a vertical growth of the population.»
Montiel came to the U.S. for college in 1988, hoping the unrest at home would ease. Instead, she watched from abroad as Hugo Chávez led two coup attempts in 1992 and the country erupted in riots and looting.
IS TRUMP’S ‘HEAT’ ON VENEZUELA THE START OF A WIDER CAMPAIGN FOR REGIME CHANGE?
Carmen Maria Montiel won the Miss Venezuela pageant in 1984. (Carmen Montiel )
«I decided I’m gonna stay a little longer, see if things get better,» she said. «But they never did.»
From Chávez’s failed coup to Nicolás Maduro’s current hold on power, Montiel sees a straight line — one she says runs through corruption, cartel influence, and foreign alliances with Russia and Iran.
«Communism always runs out of money,» Montiel said. «Even in a rich country like Venezuela, oil production collapsed, and what was left for them was crime. That’s why they joined the cartels — it’s a criminal communist regime.»
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«Socialism and open borders,» Montiel says, are what sent her country into decline. (Carmen Montiel )
U.S. officials have long accused members of Maduro’s inner circle of involvement in narcotics trafficking, particularly through the Cartel de los Soles — a network of Venezuelan military officers implicated in smuggling cocaine to North America and Europe. Washington has also sanctioned dozens of Venezuelan officials for corruption and ties to terrorist groups, though Caracas denies the charges.
Montiel supports the recent U.S. military strikes targeting alleged drug-trafficking networks off Venezuela’s coast and believes they are justified given the threat she says the regime poses to the United States.
«Venezuela presents a very high risk to the United States,» she said. «It’s the drug trafficking, the Tren de Aragua trafficking … the problems that many Venezuelan people escaped, now we’re facing in the United States.»
WASHINGTON’S SHADOW WAR: HOW STRIKES ON CARTELS THREATEN TO COLLAPSE MADURO’S REGIME
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores parade in a military vehicle during celebrations for the Independence Day, in Caracas on July 5, 2025. (JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images)
The Department of War has conducted 14 lethal strikes on vessels allegedly smuggling narcotics toward U.S. shores over the past two months.
In Montiel’s view, dismantling cartel networks and exposing the Venezuelan military’s complicity are essential steps toward toppling the regime. «This is a criminal communist regime and we should never remove the word ‘communist,’» she said.
At the same time, the U.S. has intensified pressure on Maduro, whom it does not recognize as Venezuela’s legitimate leader. The Justice Department is offering a $50 million reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest.
Analysts have questioned whether the widening military campaign may have a deeper objective: pushing Venezuela’s socialist leader from power.
The U.S. has conducted 14 strikes on drug vessels since September. (X.com/SecWar)
A U.S. intervention aimed at removing Maduro would likely divide Americans still wary of foreign entanglements. But Montiel insists Venezuelans themselves would welcome it.
«The people that are still in Venezuela are supporters of President Donald Trump because they’re screaming for freedom,» she said. «They’re screaming to get out of the situation.»
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Still, she acknowledges that removing the regime alone won’t rebuild the country.
«The country is pretty much destroyed,» she said. «It’s worse than any third world country. It’s going to take probably 30 years to get Venezuela back to what it used to be.»
Montiel is running in the Nov. 4, 2025 special election for Texas’ 18th Congressional district, a heavily Democratic Houston seat left vacant after the death of Sylvester Turner.
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Bill Clinton testifica en el Congreso de EE.UU. por su relación con Epstein: “No vi nada ni hice nada malo”
El expresidente estadounidense Bill Clinton comenzó a declarar este viernes ante una comisión del Congreso en Washington DC que investiga los vínculos de figuras públicas con el financista acusado de delitos sexuales Jeffrey Epstein, en una audiencia marcada por la tensión partidaria y los intentos de los demócratas de redirigir el foco hacia la relación del actual mandatario, Donald Trump, con el empresario fallecido en prisión en 2019.
Clinton, de 79 años, aparece mencionado de forma destacada en las más recientes revelaciones de los llamados “archivos Epstein”, difundidos tras la publicación de millones de documentos por parte del Departamento de Justicia de Estados Unidos.
Leé también: Hillary Clinton pidió que el comité legislativo que investiga el caso Epstein cite a declarar a Trump
En su declaración inicial, el exmandatario reiteró que rompió relaciones con Epstein “bastante antes” de que este fuera condenado en 2008. “No tenía idea de los delitos que (Epstein) estaba cometiendo. No importa cuántas fotos me muestren, hay dos cosas que, al final, importan más que sus interpretaciones de esas fotos de hace 20 años. Sé lo que vi y, más importante aún, lo que no vi. Sé lo que hice y, más importante aún, lo que no hice”, afirmó.
“Ni siquiera con la perspectiva que da el tiempo, nunca vi nada que me hiciera dudar”, agregó.
Esta foto sin fecha de la colección personal de Jeffrey Epstein, proporcionada por los demócratas del Comité de Supervisión de la Cámara de Representantes el 12 de diciembre de 2025, muestra al expresidente Bill Clinton posando con Epstein y Ghislaine Maxwell (2.ª por la derecha). (Foto: AFP)
En estas declaraciones iniciales, que el expresidente hizo públicas en su cuenta de X, se mostró muy contundente: “No vi nada ni hice nada malo”.
Y señaló: “Como alguien que creció en un hogar con violencia doméstica, no solo no habría volado en su avión si hubiera tenido la menor idea de lo que estaba haciendo, sino que lo habría denunciado yo mismo”.
La comparecencia se produjo un día después de la de Hillary Clinton, quien también declaró en Chappaqua, cerca de Nueva York, donde reside la pareja. Ambos solicitaron que las audiencias fueran públicas y televisadas, pero el Comité de Supervisión de la Cámara de Representantes resolvió realizarlas a puertas cerradas.
“Nos llevó siete meses traer a los Clinton hasta aquí. Ahora que los tenemos, vamos a hacer muchas preguntas”, afirmó el presidente del comité, el republicano James Comer.
Leé también: El príncipe Andrés quedó “en libertad bajo investigación” luego de estar 11 horas detenido por el caso Epstein
Desde la bancada demócrata, el legislador Suhas Subramanyam pidió que Trump sea citado a declarar. “Seamos realistas, hoy estamos hablando con el presidente equivocado”, dijo, al acusar al mandatario de obstaculizar la investigación.
Durante su testimonio, Bill Clinton reconoció haber volado en el avión de Epstein en varias ocasiones a comienzos de los años 2000 para actividades humanitarias vinculadas a la Fundación Clinton, aunque negó haber visitado la isla privada del financista en el Caribe. Bill Clinton y una mujer aparecen en esta imagen tomada en la finca de Jeffrey Epstein y publicada por el Departamento de Justicia de Estados Unidos el 19 de diciembre de 2025 (Foto: REUTERS)
También remarcó que la mera mención en los archivos no constituye prueba de delito y que no existen acusaciones en su contra.
En paralelo, nuevas fotografías surgidas de los archivos de Epstein muestran al exmandatario recostado en una bañera de hidromasaje —con parte de la imagen censurada— y en otra nadando junto a una mujer identificada como Ghislaine Maxwell, excolaboradora del financista. El expresidente estadounidense Bill Clinton nada en una piscina junto a Ghislaine Maxwell en esta imagen publicada por el Departamento de Justicia en Washington DC el 19 de diciembre de 2025. (Foto: REUTERS)
Por su parte, Hillary Clinton afirmó que su citación se basó en la “suposición” de que tenía información sobre las actividades delictivas de Epstein y Maxwell. “Permítanme ser lo más clara posible: no tengo esa información”, declaró, y negó haber viajado en el avión del financista o visitado su isla.
Epstein, un influyente financista neoyorquino con vínculos entre ricos y poderosos, fue condenado en 2008 por solicitar sexo a menores de edad y murió en 2019 en una cárcel de Nueva York mientras enfrentaba un segundo juicio por tráfico sexual, en una muerte considerada suicidio.
Los Clinton habían rechazado inicialmente las citaciones, pero accedieron a declarar tras la amenaza republicana de desacato. Los demócratas, en tanto, sostienen que la pesquisa ha sido utilizada con fines políticos más que como una investigación genuina.
(Con información de AFP)
Bill Clinton, Jeffrey Epstein
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Former President Bill Clinton is telling the House Oversight Committee that he had «no idea» of Jeffrey Epstein’s crimes as his deposition kicks off in Chappaqua, New York.
Clinton is in the hot seat for the committee’s bipartisan investigation into the late financier and sex trafficker for what is expected to be an all-day session of questions into his relationship with Epstein and his accomplice Ghislaine Maxwell.
«Now, let me say what you’re going to hear from me. First, I had no idea of the crimes Epstein was committing. No matter how many photos you show me, I have two things that, at the end of the day, matter more than your interpretation of those 20-year-old photos,» Clinton said, according to his prepared opening remarks.
«I know what I saw and more importantly, what I didn’t see. I know what I did and more importantly, what I didn’t do. I saw nothing and I did nothing wrong.»
Former President Bill Clinton speaks onstage in New York City on Sept. 18, 2023. (Noam Galai/Getty Images for Clinton Global Initiative)
Clinton also warned lawmakers, «You’ll often hear me say that I don’t recall» but said he would not speculate when asked questions.
«That might be unsatisfying, but I’m not going to say something I’m not sure of. This was all a long time ago, and I’m bound by my oath not to speculate or to guess. This is not merely for my benefit, but because it doesn’t help you for me to play detective 24 years later,» Clinton said.
Meanwhile House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer, R-Ky., suggested he had an abundance of questions for the former president ahead of the deposition.
«I think everyone’s seen that there are a lot of photos that have been released by the Department of Justice (DOJ) as well as the Epstein estate. There are a lot of email correspondence that included President Clinton,» Comer said when asked what he needed to hear.
«Secretary Clinton confirmed this yesterday: Jeffrey Epstein was in the White House 17 times while Bill Clinton was president. We know that Bill Clinton flew on Jeffrey Epstein’s plane at least 27 times. So those are questions that we’re going to ask.»
He said questions would pertain to Epstein and to Clinton’s relationship with Ghislaine Maxwell, the late financier’s accomplice who is serving out a prison term in Texas after being convicted on federal sex trafficking charges.
Comer told reporters that his list of questions for Clinton had «increased» in the wake of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s own deposition before the committee on Thursday.
«Mrs. Clinton deferred a lot of questions to her husband today. There were at least a dozen times when she said, ‘You’ll have to ask my husband that. I can’t answer that,’» the chairman said.
Rep. James Comer, a Republican from Kentucky and chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, center, joined by Republican members of the House Oversight Committee, speaks to members of the media while arriving for a closed-door deposition with former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center in Chappaqua, N.Y., on Feb. 26, 2026. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
He said that many of those deferrals had to do with the Clintons’ nonprofit work.
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«There are so many examples in the evidence the Department of Justice released, in correspondence where Epstein bragged about how involved he was initially in setting up the Clinton Global Initiative and the Clinton Foundation,» he said.
«We asked those questions to Secretary Clinton yesterday, and she kept saying she was in the Senate at that time. She wasn’t focused on it. ‘You’ll have to ask my husband.’ So a lot of the Clinton Global Initiative questions yesterday went unanswered because Mrs. Clinton deferred to her husband.»
Bill Clinton’s deposition began a few minutes after 11 a.m. on Friday, a person familiar with planning told Fox News Digital.
Comer told reporters on Thursday after Hillary Clinton’s sitdown that he expected the ordeal to be «even longer» on Friday.
Her deposition lasted roughly six hours from start to finish, with a brief lunch break in between.
Hillary Clinton, former U.S. Secretary of State, speaks to members of the media outside the Chappaqua Performing Arts Center in Chappaqua, N.Y., Feb. 26, 2026. (Adam Gray/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
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Neither of the Clintons has been accused of anything related to Epstein’s crimes. But the former president’s name appears multiple times in documents released by the DOJ and the House Oversight Committee pertaining to the investigation into Epstein.
Like his wife’s testimony, Clinton will speak to the committee behind closed doors and under oath.
The interview will be transcribed, with a video likely to be released within a week of its conclusion.
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A man was arrested after a statue of late United Kingdom Prime Minister Winston Churchill was defaced with red graffiti in London, the Metropolitan Police noted in a post on X.
Photos show the statue and its base defaced with messages such as «NEVER AGAIN IS NOW,» «ZIONIST WAR CRIMINAL» AND «GLOBALISE THE INTIFADA!»
«Overnight, the Winston Churchill statue in Parliament Square was graffitied with red paint,» the police noted in the post on Friday.
A woman takes photos of the statue of Sir Winston Churchill in Parliament Square, which has been defaced overnight with red paint and the words «Free Palestine,» in London, England, Feb. 27, 2026. (REUTERS/Carlos Jasso)
«Officers were on scene within two minutes of being alerted shortly after 4am. A 38-yr-old man is in custody having been arrested on suspicion of racially aggravated criminal damage,» the police added.
A Dutch activist group claimed credit for the graffiti.
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The statue of Sir Winston Churchill, which was defaced overnight with red paint and the words «Never again is now,» in Parliament Square, London, England, Feb. 27, 2026. (REUTERS/Carlos Jasso)
«On the morning of 27th February, the statue of Winston Churchill at Parliament Square was defaced with red paint. This protest was organised and executed by @freethefilton24nl,» a post on Instagram claims.
The post features a pre-recorded statement in which a man says, «My name is Olax Outis. I am a citizen of the Netherlands.»
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The Churchill statue in Parliament Square is vandalized in the early hours of the morning with red paint and anti-Israel slogans including «Zionist war criminal», «Stop the Genocide», «Never again is Now,» «Globalise the Intifada,» and what appears to be «Greetings from the Hague» in Dutch on Feb. 27, 2026, in London. (Guy Smallman/Getty Images)
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He identifies himself as «part of a Dutch action group called Free the Filton 24 NL,» explaining, «I’ve come to the United Kingdom to deface statue of one of history’s most well-known war criminals, Winston Churchill.»
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