Vice President Pence blasted Rep. Ilhan Omar Ilhan OmarOmar fires back at Trump over rally remarks: 'This is my country' Trump attacks Omar for criticizing US: 'How did you do where you came from?' Democrats scramble on COVID-19 relief amid division, Trump surprise MORE (D-Minn.) on Friday over her comments warning against U.S. military involvement in Venezuela's political turmoil.

During an interview with Fox News, Pence was asked by anchor Sandra Smith why he chose to respond to Omar's claim that the U.S. "helped lead the devastation in Venezuela" in a post on Twitter.

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“Because the congresswoman doesn’t know what she's talking about,” Pence responded.

“Nicolás Maduro is a socialist dictator who has taken what was once one of the most prosperous nations in this hemisphere and brought it literally to a level of deprivation and oppression and poverty that we have never seen," Pence said of the Venezuelan president. "That’s not a result of U.S. policies.”

Pence, in a tweet on Thursday, accused Omar of choosing "socialism over freedom."

"The Trump Administration stands with the freedom-loving people of Venezuela," Pence added in the tweet.

Omar blamed the economic downturn in Venezuela on U.S.-led sanctions that have cost Venezuela's economy millions in recent years from lost oil revenue.

"A lot of the policies that we have put in place has kind of helped lead the devastation in Venezuela," Omar told Democracy Now this week, adding that U.S. sanctions had "set the stage" for the current humanitarian crisis.

The collapse of Venezuela's economy has been exacerbated in recent weeks as Maduro's government faces a challenge from opposition leader Juan Guaidó, who has declared himself interim president. The U.S. and several other countries have recognized Guaidó's leadership.