Marco Rubio Is So Pumped Up About Venezuela He Just Tweeted a Snuff Film

Never tweet.

If it’s Sunday, it’s Meet the Press. And also, Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio tweeting out a still from a snuff film:

On the left, that’s former Libyan dictator Moammar Qadaffi, and on the right…that’s a captured Qadaffi after the 2011 revolution (and US intervention), shortly before he died. Qadaffi’s death was gruesome. Videos taken after his capture showed Qadaffi covered in blood; in one clip, he appeared to be sodomized—possibly by a bayonet. He was shot twice.

The context, such as it is, is that Rubio’s previous tweet was a condemnation of Venezuela leader Nicolás Maduro—sic temper tyrannis, in other words. But what happened to Qadaffi—tortured and killed after being taken prisoner—was a possible war crime, according to Human Rights Watch, and the Libya intervention was hardly a shining moment in American foreign policy. It’s a weird look for a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and particularly one who has taken an active role in shaping the Trump administration’s policy in Venezuela.

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PLEASE—BEFORE YOU CLICK AWAY!

“Lying.” “Disgusting.” “Scum.” “Slime.” “Corrupt.” “Enemy of the people.” Donald Trump has always made clear what he thinks of journalists. And it’s plain now that his administration intends to do everything it can to stop journalists from reporting things it doesn’t like—which is most things that are true.

We’ll say it loud and clear: At Mother Jones, no one gets to tell us what to publish or not publish, because no one owns our fiercely independent newsroom. But that also means we need to directly raise the resources it takes to keep our journalism alive. There’s only one way for that to happen, and it’s readers like you stepping up. The deadline’s almost here. Please help us reach our $150k membership goal by May 31.

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