In a tense television exchange, US Senator Marco Rubio robustly defended the American operation that led to the arrest of Venezuela's Nicolas Maduro, pushing back against questions about why other wanted figures were not detained simultaneously.
"You're Confused?": The Heated Exchange on Face the Nation
The debate unfolded on CBS's Face the Nation when host Margaret Brennan questioned the US administration's strategy. She pointed out that while Maduro was captured, other Venezuelan officials, including the defence minister, who are also wanted by the US on narco-terrorism charges, remain at large. "I am confused. Are they still wanted by the United States? Why didn't you arrest them if you are taking out the narco-terrorist regime?" Brennan asked.
Rubio responded with visible frustration, "You're confused? I don't know why that's confusing!" He then detailed the immense complexity of the mission that apprehended Maduro, suggesting that expecting multiple simultaneous arrests was unrealistic.
The Logistical Challenge of a "Daring" Mission
Rubio elaborated on the operational hurdles, emphasizing that Maduro was seized from a heavily fortified location. "It is not easy to land helicopters in the middle of the largest military base in the country," he stated. The senator outlined the precise execution: "land, within three minutes kicked down his door, grab him, put him in handcuffs, read him his rights, put him in a helicopter and leave the country without losing any American or any American asset!"
He dismissed the idea of replicating this at several locations at once as "absurd." "You're gonna go in and suck up five people?!" Rubio asked, noting the criticism the single operation already faced. He called the mission "one of the most daring, sophisticated and complicated missions this country carried out in a very long time." The priority, he clarified, was "the No. 1 person on the list"—Maduro, who the US does not recognise as Venezuela's legitimate president—who was arrested along with his indicted wife.
US Strategy and the Oil Quarantine Post-Maduro
Beyond the arrest, Rubio shed light on the ongoing US strategy for Venezuela. He confirmed that the United States would continue to enforce an oil quarantine on sanctioned tankers, a measure that was in place even before Maduro's removal from power. This control, Rubio indicated, is part of the broader plan to instigate change.
"We continue with that quarantine, and we expect to see that there will be changes, not just in the way the oil industry is run for the benefit of the people, but also so that they stop the drug trafficking," Rubio asserted. His comments underscore a dual-focused approach: targeting the leadership of the narco-terrorist regime while maintaining economic pressure to reform the country's oil sector and curb illicit drug operations.
