Rep. José Serrano Praises Hugo Chávez
Rep. José Serrano (D-N.Y.), who represents a Bronx-area district, tweeted praise for controversial Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, who died on Tuesday.
Serrano has long supported Chávez. The late socialist president was a polarizing figure in his country. He was beloved by Venezuela’s poor, but he drew international condemnation and scrutiny within his own country due to his record of human-rights abuses and crackdowns on the press and opposition political parties.
In 2005, Serrano struck a deal with Chávez to provide cheap heating oil to low-income residents of the Bronx.
Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) issued a statement following Chávez’s death, saying it marked a new opportunity for the “restoration of freedom” in Venezuela.
