Venezuelan Politicians Claim Charities Are U.S. Government Fronts

Legislative candidates from Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s party claim the U.S. government is funneling money to nonprofit groups active in the South American country as part of a campaign to help the party’s political opponents, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Candidates from Mr. Chavez’s Socialist Party of Venezuela have asked the country’s attorney general to investigate the local chapters of the human-rights group Freedom House and Ronald McDonald House, a charity affiliated with the fast-food chain that provides accommodation for the families of hospitalized children, as well as other domestic and international organizations that receive U.S. aid.

Mr. Chavez, a fierce critic of American foreign policy whose party is favored to win a majority of seats in next month’s voting, has often accused the U.S. government of seeking to oust him. Watchdog groups, such as Freedom House, say he has eroded civil rights and freedoms since taking office.