Henry Rangel Silva, Chavez Ally, Named Venezuela Defense Minister

CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chavez named a powerful general and close ally as his defense minister Friday, an officer accused by Washington of aiding drug traffickers and arming rebels in neighboring Colombia.

Gen. Henry Rangel Silva, the military's strategic operations commander, will take over the ministry from Gen. Carlos Mata Figueroa, Chavez said in the central city of Guarane, where the president went to attend a church ceremony.

Rangel, a former intelligence chief, angered Venezuela's opposition in late 2010 when he said in a newspaper interview that the military wouldn't accept an opposition victory in the 2012 presidential election.

Chavez then further angered opposition politicians by promoting Rangel to general-in-chief.

Rangel is one of four members of Chavez's inner circle that the U.S. government put on its Foreign Narcotics Kingpins list in 2008. Washington accused them of helping drug gangs and supplying the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia with arms. The move froze any assets they might have in the United States and barred Americans from doing business with them.

Chavez has denied the charges against his allies and has fiercely defended Rangel, calling him a "revolutionary soldier."

At the time, Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro said the sanctions against the officials were part of an "agenda of permanent aggression against Venezuela."

Chavez has long been embroiled in tensions with the United States. U.S. officials have repeatedly accused Venezuela of failing to take adequate steps to curb drug trafficking, while the socialist leader has accused Washington of acting as an imperial power and not respecting Venezuela's sovereignty.

The U.S. Embassy in Caracas has been without an ambassador since July 2010, with Chavez rejecting the U.S. nominee for ambassador, Larry Palmer, and accusing him of making disrespectful remarks about Venezuela's government. That led Washington to revoke the visa of the Venezuelan ambassador.

Chavez announced Rangel's appointment after attending a special Mass in Guarane to "keep a promise" to the Virgin of Coromoto for aiding his recovery from cancer.

Comments

[grizzly bear55]

12:17 PM on 01/08/2012

Who cares what the US operatives say, they make up stuff out of thin air, they lied about Saddam WMD and they lied about the biological weapons labs.

The decline of the empire started 11 years ago.

[sandhillsrider]

11:35 AM on 01/08/2012

I was curious Mr. Moderator, you won't post my comments but allow a comment that calls the USA the Great Satan? Does Huff Po approve of your position?

[sandhillsrider]

11:25 AM on 01/08/2012

Chavez does not look well. Ever notice these dictator types like to award themselves tons of shiny medals? Maybe he is trying to distract people from noticing he is looking more like Mr. Potato Head every day.

[grizzly bear55]

12:19 PM on 01/08/2012

Why do you care, his people voted him in for his person not for his looks.

And shame for laughing at a cancer patient, one day you may have to answer the same knock on the door.

[FernandoProano]

01:27 AM on 01/09/2012

People did not vote for his looks, true, however they voted for his LIES:

"I'm not a Socialist"
"Fidel Castro is a Dictator"
"I will respect the media" (chavez sic)

Among other lies he told people when he was candidate the first time.

[jessdog]

02:24 AM on 01/09/2012

A dictator that was elected to office 4 times. If he allows U.S corporations to pillage his country maybe he wont be called a dictator anymore but instead democratically elected

[sandhillsrider]

03:01 PM on 01/09/2012

I can't beleive the slack people give this unscrupulous tyrant. Were you aware he decreed that even if he was beaten in an election that he would not step down. He also stole privately owned companies and his cronies began running them. The biggest of them he offered pennies on the dollar for and if you complained they were taken by his decree of eminent domain. There is nothing redeeming in his behavior.

[Gingerland]

07:10 AM on 01/08/2012

Looks like Silva will be Hugo's successor....

[Fred303]

04:43 AM on 01/08/2012

I asked a Republican why he hated Chavez so much and he said because he gives money to the pore. My response to him was it's none of our business what any other country does with it's money. The U.S Government only real problem with Chavez is that it's own oil Companies cant reap the wealth from that oil.

[Peric Overde]

07:23 AM on 01/08/2012

LOL.... if you are going to BS someone at least make it a plausible BS, you know, like whitemale08.

[jessdog]

02:31 AM on 01/09/2012

The rightwing of Latin America are traitors to their people for selling its resources to the U.S. At least Chavez, Castro, Ortega, Correa, Morales stand up for what they believe and are not giving the U.S all of its resources. Bautista sold Cuba to the mafia and U.S corporations the rightwing has no guts and are sell outs like Judas

[BraveYusuf]

03:53 AM on 01/08/2012

I never understood these people that hate on Chavez for absolutely no reason. Haters, please tell me why you hate this man or what made him so "evil?"

[sandhillsrider]

11:21 AM on 01/08/2012

One reason may be that whenever an opposing politician tries to challenge him, he either is imprisoned or disappears.

[grizzly bear55]

12:20 PM on 01/08/2012

Were you there to observe these actions?

[waldopepper]

01:59 AM on 01/08/2012

Any pictures even more recent of 'ol Hugo? Moves such as this make me think that he is preparing for transition after he passes away.

[Gingerland]

07:45 AM on 01/08/2012

Correct...he's terminally ill.

[waldopepper]

02:15 PM on 01/08/2012

He claims, at least to the public, that he is cured. I am skeptical more so because of cabinet shuffles like this.

[TomMartin]

09:05 PM on 01/07/2012

He looks like Chavez. Or I wonder if Huffington Post made an error and put Chavez's picture there.

[OzzieTonto]

08:57 PM on 01/07/2012

Viva, whitemale08! Viva Chavez! Viva Venezuela! Yanqui No Pasaran!

And if the great Satan was building seven huge military bases in Colombia, along my back fence, I'd put the ruggedest, most reliable general in charge, too!

[Peric Overde]

01:01 AM on 01/08/2012

I hope for the sake of humanity that you are not capable of reproduction,

[FernandoProano]

01:38 AM on 01/09/2012

Don't be so mean with the Americans, don't you know that chavez and his family have money in American banks?. Don't you know that chavez has gas stations and oil business right here in the USA? Don't you know that USA is the main buyer of Venezuela's oil?

[vtmilitia]

08:42 PM on 01/07/2012

I read an interesting article the other day,could have been here. The murder rate in Venezuela is double that of Mexico. A wonderful socialist society Hugo has there perhaps this defence minister will start with internal issues,nah I doubt it.

[Peric Overde]

01:03 AM on 01/08/2012

We just finished the year 2011 with close to 20,000 homicides. Most of them poor. That should give you the real concern of the revolution with the poor.

[jessdog]

02:35 AM on 01/09/2012

How about when the poor rescued Chavez from the rogue generals back in April 2002. You rightwingers lost. LOL

[Macky Castro]

08:22 PM on 01/07/2012

Hasta la vista bold headed hitler.you grew so fat you didnt realize you had a bold head.

[Lohikaarme]

07:28 PM on 01/07/2012

Looking at his face, he is not yet cured. He is taking a heavy dose of steroids (probably prednisone). He cannot continue on a high dose for many more months (prednisone is a nasty stuff when taken a high levels). Why he is still on such a high dose? His Cuban doctors might know why but if he were cured, as he keeps claiming, he will be phasing out of taking steroids.

[carlosiic]

05:58 PM on 01/07/2012

Over a million barrels a day to keep pseudo-communist "regime" alive

[grizzly bear55]

12:27 PM on 01/08/2012

You would like to have it in the hands of the yanks instead?

[carlosiic]

12:59 PM on 01/08/2012

Aren't they?

[Robert Kilbourne]

04:54 PM on 01/07/2012

Sarcasm does not become you. At least I hope its that. Otherwise my response would be- go live there if it is so much better than here.

[whitemale08]

02:17 PM on 01/07/2012

...and yet El Universal (Caracas newspaper) reports drug busts everyday, one recently in Maracaibo and the Venezuelan government now about to extradite Puerto Rican drug dealer.

Hillary's State Dept. at it again in trying to set up Chavez for possible Noriega-style invasion, all after Venezuela/China finalized a development bank to build homes for all of some 2 million in slums.

[Robert Kilbourne]

05:00 PM on 01/07/2012

The busts just show that if you don't play ball with the top people you get busted. Happens all the time in these wars. My response to you is the same as the last one- go live there if it is so much better. Or is it easier to say that it is while living in the lap of luxury that is denied to the people of Venezuela by their loving benevolent dictator. I thought it was the right that wanted war while the left was freedom loving. Where did I get my signals crossed, again

[whitemale08]

07:15 PM on 01/07/2012

For your information - I already do live in Venezuela and have done so for years.

Focus on the problems in the US and leave Venezuela alone so it can finally relocate the poor venezolanos, abandoned in the slums for decades, to dignified homes so it can once and for all bulldoze those ugly ranchitos forever as an end to inequalities and injustice in one of the most beautiful countries in the world.

Thank goodness Venezuela can now partner with China as so many countries are now doing after decades of exploitation by Western powers.

You should be happy for the Venezuelan people not cursing them for finally having a leader who wants to get rid of the horrible housing crisis.

[OzzieTonto]

09:05 PM on 01/07/2012

So Sr Menezes, who still lives peacefully in the US after his long Contra drug-running, is connected how high?

[Peric Overde]

05:36 PM on 01/07/2012

Development bank with China. Funny you bring it up as it is an interesting deal. The investment was set as a fund so it would not have to undergo any checks and balances. A black box controlled only by Mr. Chavez himself. Venezuela will pay for it with oil sales at future which have been calculated at $40 per barrel. Really a very convenient deal for Venezuela.

[whitemale08]

07:18 PM on 01/07/2012

It is a good deal for Venezuela.

I estimated that in 10 years time, these homes built with 20 billion, invested by China, will add some 2 TRILLION in wealth to the Venezuelan nation.