Lobbyist: Venezuela’s Falcón not seeking presidency

WASHINGTON – A Canadian lobbying firm hired by a Venezuelan political party has filed amended paperwork showing that opposition leader Henri Falcón will not make a new presidential run.

Falcón’s adviser Francisco Rodríguez previously told The Associated Press that a reference to his client’s presidential aspirations “was inadvertently included in a regulatory filing due to a clerical error.”

A new document was filed with the Department of Justice on Thursday.

Montreal-based Dickens & Madson president Ari Ben-Menashe said the firm will get paid $200,000 “to lobby the executive and/or legislative branches of the government of the United States and its agencies to support the efforts of the political party Progressive Advance.”

Falcón broke with Venezuela’s opposition to run against President Nicolás Maduro in 2018.