The responses to the Jan. 7 briefing by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth to members of the U.S. Senate regarding Venezuela fell along party lines, not surprisingly. Republicans praised the effort and offered support for a naval presence in the region, while Democrats accused the White House of abusing military might for dubious security reasons, reported Politico. “They are talking about stealing the Venezuelan oil at gunpoint, for an undefined period of time, as leverage to micromanage the country,” said Sen. Chris Murphy, a Connecticut Democrat. “The scope and insanity of that plan is absolutely stunning.”
Senators said the Jan. 7 briefing only focused on the Venezuela operation, although Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) framed the mood inside the briefing room as “a bipartisan sense of concern” over the potential unrestricted use of military force in other foreign nations.
