Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-AR) expressed some openness to the U.S. military having a presence in Venezuela following the ouster of its former president, saying there are “many American interests” in the South American country.
President Donald Trump said Saturday that the United States will “run” Venezuela following the capture of former President Nicolas Maduro, saying this will be done until “we can do a safe, proper, and judicious transition.” Cotton interpreted Trump’s statement as the president saying Venezuela’s new leaders “need to meet our demands” and for Venezuela to stop trafficking drugs and weapons and “return to the civilized world.”
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Cotton also said the U.S. military being in Venezuela is “always an option,” saying there are U.S. citizens and “American interests” in Venezuela.
“We have many U.S. citizens and many American interests, and again, Venezuela owes many billions of dollars to American companies for their past seizure of American property in that country,” Cotton said on CNN’s State of the Union.
Venezuela’s Supreme Court ordered Vice President Delcy Rodriguez to take over as interim president following Maduro’s capture. Cotton said the U.S. wants the Venezuelan government to be “pro-American” and contribute to “stability” as a country in close proximity to the U.S.
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Maduro arrived in New York City at the Metropolitan Detention Center on Saturday night. Like other Republican lawmakers, Cotton celebrated Maduro’s capture as “a great day for America” and said he is glad Maduro is in jail.
War Secretary Pete Hegseth has not provided exact details about Trump’s statement that the U.S. will “run” Venezuela, saying Trump “set the terms” for the country. However, he did say the next steps will see the Trump administration’s crackdown on drug trafficking and illegal immigration in Venezuela continue.