Marco Rubio

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Rubio posts graphic tweet of murdered dictator as presumed threat

The tweet was perceived as a message to the Venezuelan leader.

 

Andrew Wyrich

Tech

Posted on Feb 25, 2019   Updated on May 20, 2021, 6:23 pm CDT

Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fl.) sent out a cryptic tweet of late Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi on Sunday amid a number of tweets criticizing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

The tweet showed a side-by-side picture of Gaddafi, with one of the photos depicting him covered in blood just before his death in 2011. It was marked as containing “sensitive material” on Twitter.

The tweet came after the Florida senator, who has been relentless in his criticism of Maduro on Twitter, criticizing the “Maduro Crime Family” and added that “the willingness of many nations to support stronger multilateral actions to dislodge them has increased dramatically.”

The Gadaffi side-by-side was not the only photo he posted on Sunday. Rubio also posted photos of former Panama leader Manuel Noriega holding a machete and then another after his arrest.

Rubio’s tweet was seen by many as an explicit threat to Maduro, who many in Congress want out of power.

https://twitter.com/banditelli/status/1099735335292919808

In the context of the senator’s other tweets, it’s presumed the Gaddafi tweet was referencing Maduro. A U.S.-led coalition forced Gaddafi out of power in 2011, leading to his eventual death at the hands of his citizens.

The tweets also came as violence erupted near the border of Venezuela and Columbia, with the country’s national guard firing tear gas on residents near the border with Columbia, according to the Associated Press.

Vice President Mike Pence is scheduled to meet with Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido on Monday.

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*First Published: Feb 25, 2019, 9:19 am CST