US expels 2 top Venezuelan diplomats in tit-for-tat response

The State Department has declared chargé d'affaires of the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington and the deputy consul general of the Venezuelan consulate in Houston personae non grata, ordering them to leave the country in 48 hours. The move is in retaliation for the expulsion of two US diplomats by Venezuela over allegations that they conspired against the government. The Venezuelan president announced the decision to boot the US chargé d'affaires in Caracas and his deputy in the wake of his victory in the elections, which were denounced by Washington as a “sham.”  Announcing the move, the State Department slammed Maduro’s accusations against the diplomats, calling them “unjustified.”“We reject any suggestion to the contrary,” spokesperson Heather Nauert said in a statement.