Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) criticized President Donald Trump following a U.S. military operation in Venezuela that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, saying Trump was acting under the influence of Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC).
Rand Paul’s Response
Speaking to reporters on Monday, Paul criticized the invasion and referenced Trump’s previous opposition to interventionist foreign policy. Audio of Paul’s remarks was posted on social media by the American Conservative.
“It was something I liked about Donald Trump,” Paul said. “Whenever I had misgivings about something else, I’d always come back and say, ‘Well, he’s the best we’ve ever had.’ Much better than the Bushes, who were war-mad and wanted to be involved in all these crazy wars overseas or make the world safe for democracy. I never liked any of that. And I thought Trump was different. And so, it disappoints me, but he’s under the thrall of Lindsey Graham.”
U.S. Military Operation in Venezuela
U.S. forces invaded Venezuela on Saturday and captured President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. The two were transported to New York, where they pleaded not guilty to drug trafficking charges. Following Maduro’s capture, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez was sworn in as interim president.
The raid resulted in the deaths of at least 80 people and followed a months-long campaign of U.S. actions against Venezuela. Since September, the Trump administration has bombed several boats originating from the country and seized two Venezuelan oil tankers. President Trump has stated that the boats were carrying drugs.
On Sunday, President Trump addressed the situation aboard Air Force One, saying his interest in Venezuela was tied to its oil reserves.
“We are going to have to have big investments by the oil companies to bring back the infrastructure,” Trump said. “The oil companies are ready to go, they are going to build back the infrastructure.”
