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Venezuelan Political Strategist Granted Asylum in US


A Venezuelan political strategist has been granted asylum in the U.S., Colombian media reported Tuesday.

J.J. Rendon, who has been living in Miami, confirmed on twitter that the U.S. had accepted his request for asylum, retweeting his lawyer's photo of the official letter.

Rendon says he faces death threats in Venezuela where he openly opposes what he calls the pseudo revolution.

"There is no argument, or enough money on the face of the earth, that would convince me to work with anyone involved in Chavismo," he is quoted as saying in a biography on his website.

"Chavismo", named for the late socialist president Hugo Chavez, is a left-wing populist movement in Venezuela.

The opposition won a majority of parliament seats in December - the first time non-supporters of Chavez has been in power since the 1990s.

Rendon has worked on political campaigns at all levels across Latin America.

In 2013 Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro declared Rendon the number one public enemy of Venezuela and has accused him of conspiring against the government.

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