Today, in Washington, Republican representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Democratic Senator Bob Menendez issued a joint statement after it was announced that the Trump administration would designate thirteen companies and two individuals involved in drug trafficking, which includes Tareck El Aissami who’s connected to drug trafficking, money laundering and other illegal activities.

W/ democracy under siege in Venezuela, @RosLehtinen & I welcome new sanctions on senior Venezuelan gov officials. https://t.co/RyyDeZQccu

— Senator Bob Menendez (@SenatorMenendez) February 13, 2017

In their statement, the representatives said that “Adding Tareck El-Aissami and Samark Jose Lopez Bello to the Treasury’s Specially Designated Nationals list is long overdue, but we welcome these sanctions because they signal a fundamental step in charting a positive role the United States can continue to play given the deteriorating crisis in Venezuela. Last week, we led a bicameral and bipartisan letter to the administration calling for action against Maduro regime officials responsible for the Venezuelan people’s suffering and we welcome this and any additional efforts to support Venezuelans languishing under this corrupt and repressive regime. With democracy under total siege in Venezuela and without any due process or rule of law left, we can and must do more to hold the Maduro regime accountable, including all those in the kangaroo court responsible for the unjust incarceration of Leopoldo Lopez. We commend the Administration for acting quickly and decisively as the human rights violations, political persecution and impunity in Venezuela cannot go unpunished.”

What is "grotesque" is your fortune of $3 billion from an illegal narcotics operation while the people of #Venezuela starve. https://t.co/2rJR1rvhVC

— Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (@RosLehtinen) February 14, 2017