Governor Hogan Slams Biden for Considering Relaxing Venezuela Oil Sanctions

By WMAL.com

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan took aim at President Biden on Tuesday night during an interview on Fox News for his consideration of relaxing oil sanctions against Venezuela. Hogan is in Florida this week meeting with Venezuelan American industry leaders and activists to discuss America’s energy and foreign policy future.

Setting the stage: officials from the White House traveled to Caracas earlier this month to explore the potential of opening alternative oil supplies in Venezuela. The demand for new sources of oil come amidst a time when domestic energy prices are soaring, and the president faces increased political pressure from voters as the midterm elections loom.

What Hogan said: “the energy crisis cannot be solved by robbing the people of Venezuela of their dreams of freedom. That’s not what America stands for. Maduro makes common cause with Putin because he is a vicious dictator, not an American ally.”

Maryland gas tax: Hogan was the first governor in the nation to suspend his state’s gas tax to provide relief to his constituents at the pump.

The backdrop: many believe that Hogan could be a dark horse presidential candidate in 2024. Hogan has not made any direct statements regarding his future political ambitions but did say in the interview that “my current job as governor runs until January 2023, and then we’ll take a look and see what the future holds after that.”