Washington, DC [US], January 6 (ANI): US Homeland Security Advisor Stephen Miller on Monday (local time) outlined the administration’s position on Venezuela, asserting that Washington holds broad leverage and operational control in the country.
Miller said President Donald Trump has asked Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who has also been involved in national security leadership, to oversee enforcement of the president’s guidance and direction on Venezuela. He added that multiple arms of the US government are involved in the process, including energy, treasury, financial, and military policy. “It’s a big team, a group of people,” Miller said.
“We have an oil embargo on Venezuela. For them to do any kind of commerce, they need our permission. We have our massive fleet, our armada, still present there. This is an active and ongoing US government military operation. So, of course, we set the terms and conditions,” he added.
According to Miller, US leverage over Venezuela is extensive. He asserted that Washington maintains an oil embargo requiring US approval for Venezuelan commerce and claimed that American naval forces remain deployed in the region.
“We are very much getting full, complete, and total cooperation from the government of Venezuela. As a result of that cooperation, the people of Venezuela are going to become richer than they ever have before. And, of course, the United States is going to benefit massively in terms of economic, security, and military cooperation, counter-narcotics, counterterrorism, and every other division of our security,” Miller said.
He credited President Trump with what he described as a “brilliant, decisive military operation in Venezuela,” claiming it culminated in an “assault force to capture Maduro.” Miller called it one of the most significant strategic shifts and rebalancing of power in US history.
Meanwhile, during their first court appearance in New York, Venezuela’s deposed leader Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, pleaded not guilty to all charges and accused the United States government of abducting them from their home country, CNN reported.
According to CNN, both Maduro and Flores denied the drug trafficking and weapons-related charges filed against them and, for now, did not contest their continued detention. The appearance marked a historic moment and the beginning of what is expected to be a prolonged legal battle, as their defense is likely to challenge the legality of their military capture.
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