US hits Venezuelan Vice President with “kingpin” sanctions

Tareck El Aissami, vice president of Venezuela, listens during a swearing in ceremony for the new board of directors of Petroleos de Venezuela SA , Venezuela’s state oil company, in Caracas, Venezuela, on Jan. 31, 2017. Nicholas Maduro, president of Venezuela, has given his vice president wide-reaching decree powers, including the ability to determine ministries’ spending plans and expropriate private businesses, in a move that has fueled speculation over possible succession plans.