Trumped Up?

Venezuela to Charge Opposition Leader

In alleged plot to kill president.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado will be charged next week with involvement in an alleged plot to kill President Nicolas Maduro, the state prosecutor's office said. In May, leaders of the ruling Socialist Party accused opposition activists including Machado of planning Maduro's assassination to pave the way for a coup. Opposition critics dismissed the accusation as a charade based on forged documents. Machado, a former legislator and high-profile adversary of the government, helped spearhead three months of protests earlier this year. She will be formally charged on Dec. 3, the prosecutor's office said in a statement. Via her Twitter account, Machado suggested the announcement was in retribution for demanding new leadership at the state elections council.