Pentagon to review role in Venezuela

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez survived a two-day coup this month.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Pentagon has acknowledged it is looking into the actions of U.S. military officers during the recent failed coup against Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

"We are informally gathering details of what occurred in Venezuela," said a Pentagon official. "The facts are clear, but events on the ground occurred very rapidly so we want to make sure we have all the details."

Rogelio Pardo-Maurer, deputy assistant secretary of defense for Western Hemisphere affairs, is mainly conducting the inquiry.

Pardo-Maurer is said to be talking to members of the U.S. military team, which works with the American diplomatic delegation in Venezuela.

"All the information we have at this time confirms that [Department of Defense]personnel engaged with Venezuela issues acted in a highly professional and proper manner," the official said. "There is no indication or suggestion that DOD personnel aided or encouraged improper extra-constitutional or unlawful actions in Venezuela."

The Bush administration has been denying for several days that it may have given tacit approval to the coup planners in recent months.

In December, Pardo-Maurer met with Gen. Lucas Romero Rincon, Venezuela's top commander, and reportedly discouraged any talk of a military takeover.

Rebellious military officers ousted Chavez on April 12, but he returned to office two days later, supported by the nation's poor.

After Chavez's removal, the Bush administration did not condemn the action. Instead it blamed street protests on "undemocratic actions committed or encouraged by the Chavez administration."

In addition to fears that Chavez may be trying to stifle democratic institutions within the oil-rich South American country, administration officials have been concerned about relationships between Chavez and Colombian rebel groups.

After the military action in Venezuela, several leaders of other nations -- including Mexico, Costa Rica, Argentina and Paraguay -- condemned the seizure of power. Asked if the Bush administration had undercut its own moral authority by not speaking out sooner, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer defended the U.S. response, saying the situation in Venezuela had been fluid.