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Thursday, October 12, 2006

TANCREDO URGES CITGO BOYCOTT

By Eunice Moscoso | Thursday, October 12, 2006, 01:09 PM

Rep. Tom Tancredo, a Colorado Republican who has gained national prominence as a strong critic of illegal immigration, is turning his ire at Venezuelen President Hugo Chavez.

In protest of Chavez’s recent speech at the United Nations, in which he called president Bush “the devil,” Tancredo is urging the Bush administration to ban federal employees from using government credit cards to purchase gasoline at Citgo, the Venezuelan government’s oil subsidiary.

Tancredo said that Chavez’s “delusional outburst” was an insult to the entire country and that “it is time for U.S. taxpayers to stop pouring money into the pockets of this despot.” 

In addition, he said in a press release: “Americans can make their own private decisions about whether or not they want to purchase CITGO gasoline products, but U.S. taxpayers certainly should not be compelled to bankroll Chavez’s menacing rise. Banning the use of government credit cards to purchase CITGO gasoline would be a good start."

The Congressman sent a letter requesting the boycott to Thomas Dryer, acting associate administrator for Congressional affairs at the General Services Administration. It can be seen at: http://www.tancredo.house.gov/press/press_releases.aspx

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