Former National Security Council chief of staff Fred Fleitz and former Ukraine armed-forces adviser Dan Rice said Saturday on Newsmax's "The Count" that the United States is entering a decisive phase in its confrontation with Venezuela, with President Donald Trump signaling unprecedented steps to crack down on the Maduro regime and its ties to drug cartels.
Fleitz said Trump's declaration that he may shut down Venezuelan airspace marks a dramatic escalation aimed at targeting narcotics trafficking networks that move drugs into the United States.
He said the administration's pressure campaign is so severe that it could ultimately push Nicolás Maduro from power, calling that a "great outcome," even if not the stated objective, while airstrikes on drug labs, distribution hubs, and select military facilities are under consideration.
"I think when we hear about land strikes, the president's thinking of hitting drug labs and facilities that are transporting these weapons, including some military sites.
"But I don't think the president has any intention of sending in ground troops. We're not going to invade Venezuela," Fleitz said.
Rice noted that the United States has assembled the largest naval presence in the region since the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis, a posture he said cannot be maintained indefinitely.
He argued Trump's decision to close Venezuelan airspace is only the first step, predicting that strikes are likely and that special operations or intelligence officers may already be positioned to coordinate them.
He said even the threat of U.S. action forces cartels to scatter, disrupt supply lines, and rethink their operations. "Under [former President Joe] Biden, being a narcoterrorist was a great career path," Rice said. "Not so much anymore."
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James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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