False claim US invaded Venezuela | Fact check

The claim: The US invaded Venezuela

[En Espa?ol: Es falso que EE.UU. invadió Venezuelal]

A July 31 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows a man reacting to purported U.S. military action following disputed election results in Venezuela.

“UNITED STATES INVADES VENEZUELA,” the post reads in Spanish. “Sent AIRCRAFT CARRIER USS George Washington and MADURO falls.”

The post was shared more than 1,000 times in four days.

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Our rating: False

The claim is nonsense. There is no evidence or credible reporting that the U.S. invaded Venezuela.

The US disputes election results but did not invade Venezuela

Venezuelan authorities declared President Nicolás Maduro the winner of a July 28 election but offered no voting tallies as proof of the supposed victory. Independent exit polling and analyses found that opposition candidate Edmundo González won, The Washington Post reported.

The U.S. government said González defeated Maduro and called for a peaceful transition.

“Given the overwhelming evidence, it is clear to the United States and, most importantly, to the Venezuelan people that Edmundo González Urrutia won the most votes in Venezuela’s July 28 presidential election,” Secretary of State Antony Blinken said in an Aug. 1 statement.

However, Blinken did not mention anything about invading the country in the statement.

A U.S. invasion of Venezuela would be a major international news event, but there is no credible reporting about such a development. There is likewise no mention of any military action being taken against Venezuela on the State Department's website.

“The U.S. is not planning to invade Venezuela," Michael Shifter, a professor at the Center for Latin American Studies at Georgetown University, told USA TODAY. "The possibility of this happening is zero. The Trump administration vaguely hinted at the use of force in Venezuela, but it was never a realistic option.”

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The deployment of U.S. troops overseas for hostile engagements requires both congressional and presidential authorization in most cases, as stated in the War Powers Resolution. Congress has not passed any bills authorizing military action against Venezuela as of Aug. 5.

The post also states that the U.S. sent the USS George Washington, an aircraft carrier, to Venezuela. But on July 24, the carrier was in San Diego, California, and it was due to head to Japan in August, according to KPBS. The Facebook post did not provide any credible evidence to support its claims.

USA TODAY reached out to the user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.

Our fact-check sources:

• Michael Shifter, Aug. 1. Email exchange and phone call with USA TODAY

• Congress.gov, Nov. 7, 1973, H.J.Res.542 - Joint resolution concerning the war powers of Congress and the President

• Congress.gov, accessed Aug. 1, Venezuela search

• Department of State, Aug. 1, Assessing the Results of Venezuela’s Presidential Election

• White House, July 31, Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, and National Security Advisor JohnKirby

• Carter Center, July 30, 2021, Carter Center Statement on Venezuela Election

• KPBS, July 24, Two carriers conducting 'swap' operation in San Diego

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No, US did not invade Venezuela following election | Fact Check