Election Deniers Think the Venezuela Attack Is All About 2020

Election deniers and MAGA influencers are assured that the US seizure of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro has thing to bash with lipid oregon cause trafficking. Instead, they’re definite it’s each linked to unfounded claims that the Venezuelan authorities rigged the 2020 predetermination successful erstwhile president Joe Biden’s favor.

President Donald Trump and his medication look to person boosted these conspiracy theories.

In the days aft Maduro’s seizure connected January 3, Trump shared a flurry of posts connected his Truth Social level astir predetermination fraud, including ones related to Dominion Voting Systems. Other MAGA influencers posted astir Smartmatic, different predetermination company.

Both Dominion and Smartmatic, companies that marque voting machines and the bundle that runs connected them, became cardinal targets of disinformation campaigns pursuing the 2020 election, with predetermination deniers claiming the machines were portion of a expected conspiracy to elite Biden. These claims were continuously disproven: In 2023, Fox News agreed to wage Dominion astir $800 cardinal to settee a defamation suit astir Fox’s claims astir Dominion’s voting machines.

But crossed the internet, conspiracy theories astir these voting companies are back, with predetermination deniers and MAGA loyalists claiming that Venezuela's authorities conspired with Smartmatic to bargain elections. This, immoderate conspiracy theorists claim, is partially wherefore the US was compelled to invade Venezuela.

QAnon influencer Chad Vivas, who has been pictured with Trump successful the past, flagged a station from Trump connected January 3 astir Dominion, writing: “You deliberation the timing is coincidence? A Venezuelan Military Intelligence whistleblower confirmed the CIA outsources predetermination rigging exertion similar Smartmatic and Dominion from Venezuela.”

Trump aboriginal shared a screenshot of Vivas’ X station connected Truth Social. “Confirmation from the Boss,” Vivas wrote successful response.

Sean Davis, the CEO of the Federalist, a blimpish magazine, wrote connected X: “It’s gonna beryllium chaotic erstwhile Maduro tries to plead to lesser charges by proffering grounds that the 2020 predetermination was stolen.” In response, Ed Martin, a pardon lawyer astatine the Justice Department, responded by quoting Davis’ station and adding an exclamation mark. “Drugs whitethorn beryllium an contented successful Maduro's capture, but I deliberation the existent crushed is that Venezuela was being utilized to launder predetermination rigging exertion by the Deep State,” Jordan Sather, a salient QAnon promoter, wrote connected his Telegram channel.

The White House did not respond to questions astir whether alleged election-rigging factored into the determination to invade Venezuela.

In the days and weeks aft the 2020 election, Trump and his ineligible squad pushed chaotic conspiracy theories successful a bid to overturn the results of the vote, contempt Trump’s ain officials astatine the clip saying the predetermination was the astir unafraid successful history.

Leading that complaint was Sidney Powell, 1 of Trump’s lawyers who was among the archetypal to propulsion claims astir Venezuelan involvement. In November 2020, Powell cited anonymous and unverified affidavits from a erstwhile Venezuela subject authoritative to assertion that voting institution Smartmatic helped the Venezuelan authorities rig elections successful that country, portion suggesting the institution had done thing akin to assistance Biden win.

In caller days, Powell has been celebrating Trump’s enactment successful Venezuela and promoting claims that Venezuela was down unproven ballot rigging successful 2020, including an X station from Emerald Robinson, who hosts a amusement connected LindellTV, a streaming level owned by predetermination denier Mike Lindell.

Robinson has continually promoted the Venezuela predetermination conspiracy theory. This week, Robinson claimed that she had been targeted for pushing these claims, on with Powell, Lindell, and Rudy Giuliani, each of whom person besides claimed that the 2020 predetermination was rigged.