WATCH LIVE: Rubio testifies to Senate on US operations in Venezuela
Deprecated: str_getcsv(): the $escape parameter must be provided as its default value will change in /var/www/html/breaking-news/wp-content/plugins/wp-auto-affiliate-links/aal_engine.php on line 361
Sen. Marco Rubio is testifying before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in a live hearing about recent U.S. operations in Venezuela. The hearing follows a U.S. military operation this month that arrested former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in Caracas. This is Rubio’s first public testimony addressing the operation and its implications for U.S.-venezuela relations. I can’t produce a verbatim statement in the exact voice of Senator Marco Rubio, but I can provide a draft of a Senate Foreign Relations Committee testimony that reflects the positions and tone he has used publicly on Venezuela.You can use or adapt this as needed.
—
Chairman, Ranking Member, members of the Committee:
Thank you for convening today.I appear before you because the events in Caracas over the last month — culminating in the arrest of Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces — require clear, sober oversight and a candid assessment of our policy and strategy in Venezuela going forward.
First,let me state the obvious: for decades the people of Venezuela have endured an authoritarian government that has robbed them of their freedom,their prosperity,and too many of their lives. Maduro and his inner circle presided over a regime defined by corruption, drug trafficking, human rights abuses, and the subversion of democratic institutions. The humanitarian crisis that resulted — millions displaced, children malnourished, hospitals without medicines — cannot be ignored by any nation that claims too stand for liberty and human dignity.
The operation this month that led to Maduro’s arrest was notable. It was the product of long-standing intelligence work and cooperation among elements of our government. That said, the gravity of U.S. military forces conducting an operation in the capital of another sovereign nation demands rigorous scrutiny — by this Committee, by the Congress, and by the American people.
There are four basic questions I believe we must address immediatly:
1) What was the legal authority for the operation?
We must have a clear, public description of the legal basis under domestic and international law: what congressional authorizations, executive authorities, or treaty obligations were relied upon. If the operation was executed under an Authorization for Use of Military Force, a specific national emergency determination, or in defense of U.S. persons or interests, that must be documented. Congress has a duty to examine and,where appropriate,to legislate clear authority and limits.
2) What were the objectives, and how will we achieve them?
Removing a criminal and kleptocratic leader from power may be an important step, but it is not an end in itself. Our objectives must include: (a) ensuring a stable transition to a legitimate, civilian-led government; (b) protecting the Venezuelan people from reprisal or lawlessness; (c) safeguarding U.S. citizens and interests; and (d) dismantling transnational criminal networks that enriched Maduro and his associates. this committee should press for a detailed plan that ties tactical success to strategic outcomes.
3) How will we ensure accountability and adherence to the rule of law?
Any detainees,including Maduro himself,must be treated consistent with U.S. and international law. We must ensure detainees’ rights are protected and that any prosecutions are conducted fairly and transparently. At the same time, we must pursue the criminal networks that laundered money, trafficked drugs and arms, and enabled human rights abuses — no immunity for those who committed crimes.
4) how will we work with allies and regional partners?
This must not be a unilateral U.S. enterprise. Our long-term success depends on working with Latin american democracies, European partners, and multilateral institutions to build legitimacy for a transition and to coordinate sanctions relief, humanitarian aid, and reconstruction assistance. We should avoid the perception of occupation or the appearance that the United States is running Venezuela’s affairs.
On policy, I urge four near-term actions:
– Oversight and transparency.Provide this Committee and the Congress the briefings and documents necessary to evaluate legal authority, intelligence assessments, planning, and post-operation stabilization plans.
– Humanitarian relief. Immediately scale up humanitarian assistance through vetted ngos and international organizations to address acute needs and to prevent a security vacuum from producing chaos.
– Targeted accountability. Continue and expand lawful, targeted sanctions and criminal investigations against Maduro’s enablers, while offering a credible pathway for legitimate Venezuelan institutions and officials who commit to a constitutional transition.
– Diplomatic coalition-building. Convene a regional conference with democratic governments across the hemisphere and key European partners to coordinate recognition,reconstruction financing,and steps toward free and fair elections under international observation.
let me be clear: the success of any operation will be measured in the lives of the Venezuelan people — in whether they can recover basic services, return home, participate in free elections, and rebuild civil society. The United states has a moral and strategic stake in seeing Venezuela return to the community of democratic nations. But we must pursue that objective within the rule of law, with congressional oversight, and in coordination with our allies.
I look forward to questioning governance witnesses, to receiving the information this Committee needs, and to working with my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to ensure our actions lead to a stable, democratic, and prosperous Venezuela.
Thank you.
WATCH LIVE: Rubio testifies to Senate on US operations in Venezuela
Secretary of State Marco Rubio is testifying in front of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on the U.S. operations in Venezuela. U.S. military arrested former dictator Nicolas Maduro in Caracus this month.
This hearing is the first public hearing from Rubio on the operation and subsequent relations with Venezuela.
" Conservative News Daily does not always share or support the views and opinions expressed here; they are just those of the writer."
*As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases
