The Venezuelan government in Caracas under the control of President Nicolas Maduro has denounced as illegal the takeover this week of some of its diplomatic offices in the United States by representatives of opposition leader Juan Guaido, who declared himself interim leader of the oil rich but economically impoverished nation. But as VOA’s Brian Padden reports, the move by the U.S. to legitimize Guaido and further isolate the embattled Maduro government has recent legal precedent.