Secretary of State Marco Rubio spent much of his testimony Wednesday before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee reassuring senators that the United States is not at war with Venezuela and is committed to what he described as three pillars: stability, recovery, and a transition to democracy.
That, he said, includes no long-term plan to leave the remnants of the "corrupt" Nicolas Maduro regime — namely sworn-in successor Delcy Rodriguez — in place without a new democratic process.
"In the long term, by no means is our policy to leave in place something permanent that's as corrupt as you've described," Rubio told Ranking Member Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., in his hearing.
Rubio left open the possibility of future military action in Venezuela if Rodriguez does not act responsibly but stopped short of committing to a timetable for the regime to work toward a new democratic election in the next "three, four, five" months.
"We are not postured to, nor do we intend or expect to, have to take any military action in Venezuela at any time," Rubio told the Senate committee on which he previously served as a senior member.
Shaheen pressed Rubio on whether interim Venezuelan President Delcy Rodriguez is under criminal investigation in the United States.
The Associated Press reported this month that Rodriguez has been on the Drug Enforcement Administration's radar since at least 2018. Internal DEA records reviewed by the AP show Rodriguez's name appeared in multiple investigations into crimes including drug trafficking, money laundering, and gold smuggling.
Rubio told Shaheen that Rodriguez was not indicted in the U.S., but did not deny the AP report about the DEA's interest in the Venezuelan leader.
"That regime, as everyone understood, was held together by corruption," Rubio said. "We are just acknowledging reality, and that is we have to work with the people who are in charge of the government."
A protester disrupted the hearing at the outset, holding a sign that read "Hands off Venezuela," as Rubio began his opening statement, which he delivered off the cuff rather than from prepared remarks.
The disruptor was quickly detained by U.S. Capitol police officers and removed from the room.
Rubio responded by predicting, "There will be a couple more."
In prepared testimony for the hearing, Rubio said the United States is not at war with Venezuela and that its interim leaders are cooperating, but noted the Trump administration would not rule out using additional force if needed.
Rubio also downplayed committee concerns that the Trump administration is undermining the NATO alliance but repeated a long-standing complaint that NATO allies need to contribute more to defense spending.
"NATO needs to be reimagined," Rubio responded to questions from Shaheen, who said Trump's foreign policy could leave the U.S. standing alone.
But Rubio said past presidents have also complained that NATO allies do not contribute enough to defense.
"I just think this president complains about it louder than other presidents," Rubio said.
AP contributed to this report.
Eric Mack ✉
Eric Mack has been a writer and editor at Newsmax since 2016. He is a 1998 Syracuse University journalism graduate and a New York Press Association award-winning writer.
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