MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Trump should be impeached a thousand times, claims Maduro

“I wasn't surprised, because that's what Donald Trump does every day against Venezuela,” said Maduro

Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro, under fire all year to quit from the United States and its allies, exulted on Monday in the impeachment inquiry against President Donald Trump, though he did not expect the White House to let up against him.

Trump is under fire over his request to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy for an investigation into Joe Biden, a leading Democratic candidate to challenge him in the 2020 U.S. presidential election.

“I wasn't surprised, because that's what Donald Trump does every day against Venezuela,” said Maduro, whom Trump and dozens of other nations in the West and around Latin America have said rigged a 2018 election and is thus a usurper.

The leftist Venezuelan leader accused Trump and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo of bombarding foreign leaders and officials with calls threatening to withdraw aid and block loans as part of their campaign to topple him.

“Donald Trump should have a thousand impeachments against him for the thousand calls and thousand acts of extortion he has carried out against governments to harm Venezuela,” Maduro added at a news conference in Caracas.

Some analysts believe the impeachment inquiry may distract Trump from foreign policy priorities, including leading international efforts against Maduro.

But the Venezuelan leader did not share that view.

“What is going to change towards Venezuela? Nothing. Because that is the policy of the empire,” Maduro said.

”They believe Latin America and the Caribbean is their backyard and belongs to them ... If they checked all (Trump's) calls in the last year, they would find enough evidence to prove the abuse of power against noble Venezuela.”

Washington recognizes Congress head and opposition leader Juan Guaido as Venezuela's interim leader, but Maduro retains power due to the loyalty of the armed forces and international support from China and Russia.