In an interview with CBS News this evening, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said that the US will control what happens next in Venezuela before also saying that it will be up to the people of Venezuela to determine their fate.
At one point, Hegseth said “we” — meaning the US — “are going to control what happens next.” But later on, he said, “What happens next will be in the hands of Venezuelans to decide.”
In response to questions about possible troop deployments to Venezuela, Hegseth said “we are still poised” so that President Donald Trump has “options” going forward.
When anchor Tony Dokoupil asked, “Is it about freedom or is it about oil? At the press conference today, President Trump seemed to indicate that both were a factor,” Hegseth answered, “Freedom, security, prosperity.” Hegseth proceeded to lavish praise on the president.
Dokoupil also invoked the US history with Iraq and the “significant loss of US treasure and of US blood” to ask, “Many of the president’s own supporters tonight are wondering, how is this, this time around, going to be different? And how is it in the US interest?”
Hegseth asserted that it’s the opposite this time, because “Trump flips the script.”
“He says, through strategic action, we can ensure that we have access to additional wealth and resources, enabling a country to unleash that, without having to spend American blood,” he said.
Hegseth also said he had just spent time at Joint Base Andrews with service members involved in the US operation in Venezuela.
Discussion about this post