Sen. Graham Encourages Trump's Venezuela Moves

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., offered words of encouragement to President Donald Trump in a Saturday post aimed at Trump's threats against Venezuela.

"I very much appreciate and respect the determination by President Trump to deal with the drug caliphate countries that inhabit our backyard — chief among them Venezuela," Graham posted.

Graham said Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro is a bad actor on the world stage. "For over a decade, Maduro has controlled a narcoterrorist state that is poisoning America and he has created alliances with international terrorist organizations like Hezbollah," he wrote.

The Senator echoed Trump in his assessment of Maduro's standing. "He is an illegitimate leader who has been indicted for drug trafficking in U.S. courts and maintains control of Venezuela by a reign of terror," Graham said.

Americans, and the people of Venezuela, according to Graham, will be better off without Maduro. "President Trump's strong commitment to end this madness in Venezuela will save countless American lives and will give the beautiful people of Venezuela a new lease on life," he added.

Graham closed his post with, "I hear Turkey and Iran are lovely this time of year…"

Trump has been critical of Maduro and ramped up his pressure with a post Saturday aimed directly at Maduro's enterprises, writing "To all Airlines, Pilots, Drug Dealers, and Human Traffickers, please consider THE AIRSPACE ABOVE AND SURROUNDING VENEZUELA TO BE CLOSED IN ITS ENTIRETY."

Maduro reportedly asked Trump for amnesty in a previously undisclosed phone call sometime last week. Trump is said to have told Maduro his reign was over and to leave Venezuela and take his top aides with him.

At the same time, the U.S. military has been striking at alleged narcoterrorist drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean.

U.S. Southern Command has bolstered its forces surrounding Venezuela and in the Caribbean. Combined air and naval forces have been visibly conducting missions throughout the region.

Military commanders said in a statement that the increased forces would "detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities."

War Secretary Pete Hegseth posted Friday that "We have only just begun to kill narco-terrorists."

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