SC senator defends ouster of Honduran president

WASHINGTON (AP) — South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint is defending the ouster of Honduran President Manuel Zelaya and says the rule of law is working in Honduras.

Zelaya was ousted in a military coup after he ignored a Supreme Court order to halt a constitutional revamp, which many Hondurans believe was meant to let him stay in power.

A Republican conservative, DeMint called Zelaya "a Chavez-style dictator," referring to Venezuelan leftist leader Hugo Chavez, an outspoken critic of the United States.

DeMint said in a statement Thursday that Zelaya flouted the constitutional authority of the Honduran Congress and Supreme Court.

DeMint says President Barack Obama's call to reinstate Zelaya is "a slap in the face to the people of the Honduras."