Top Senate and House lawmakers from both parties emerged from a classified briefing given by President Trump‘s most senior officials with little clarity on the future of Venezuela, days after the president declared the U.S. would “run” the country after apprehending its president, Nicolas Maduro.
Trump has given a green light for Venezuela’s Vice President Delcy Rodríguez to remain in the role of president for now, although lawmakers said the goal is eventually to have elections. Rodriguez is a close ally of Maduro and stalwart of the Venezuelan socialist movement popularized by Hugo Chavez.
“This is still developing, this has all just happened within the last couple of days,” House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) responded when asked if the briefers indicated they wanted a change in leadership.
“There’s more questions, ultimately about how it resolves, probably, than answers at the moment, but that’s to be expected,” he added.
Earlier, Johnson said he expects an election to be called in Venezuela “in short order,” but added that “some of these things are still being determined.”
Trump on Monday night ruled out elections taking place in Venezuela within that country’s constitutionally-mandated 30-day period, in an interview with NBC News.
“We have to fix the country first. You can’t have an election,” Trump said. “There’s no way the people could even vote. No, it’s going to take a period of time. We have — we have to nurse the country back to health.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) described the briefing as “extensive and long” with “far more questions than it ever answered.”
“Their plan for the U.S. running Venezuela is vague, based on wishful thinking and unsatisfying,” he told reporters.
The briefing was carried out by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Attorney General Pam Bondi.
The briefing was provided to the so-called Gang of Eight, who are the House and Senate leaders of both parties and heads of intelligence committees, as well as the heads of the foreign affairs and armed services committees in both chambers.
Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Brian Mast (R-Fla.) said that while Rodríguez is not the preferred ally of the U.S., it is necessary to keep her in place to prevent a power vacuum.
“What you have in place is somebody that, while they wouldn’t be the preference, they are in place, they are in communication with the United States of America… they know how to answer the phones and they are also well aware that the Department of Navy is directly off the shores protecting the American people,” he said.
Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-N.Y.), ranking member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, said there’s “no clarity” when it comes to putting troops on the ground in Venezuela.
“He has the option of putting troops on the ground,” Meeks told reporters, referring to Trump. “He’s not going to take anything off the table. This is what the president has said. So I don’t think that there was anything that was said differently.“
Meeks praised the military for its execution, even though he disagreed with the orders they were given, but voiced concerns about the U.S. government’s next move in Caracas.
“Clearly, it’s not about democracy. I don’t think, I think, clearly, it’s about — a lot about oil.”
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said “there are still questions that need to be answered.”
Asked if she thinks the administration is considering similar actions against other countries, the New Hampshire senator said she did not think “that’s clear yet.”
Likewise, Schumer said he did not receive any assurances that the Trump administration would not try to do the same operation in other countries.
“When the United States engages in this kind of regime change, so-called nation-building, it always hurts the United States,” he said.
Despite their uncertainty about what’s next for Venezuela, Republicans defended Trump’s decision to use the military for what the administration is framing as a “law enforcement operation” and put Maduro on trial for drug trafficking.
“With regard to war powers and the compliance with federal law, we are not at war,” said Johnson. “We do not have U.S. armed forces in Venezuela and we are not occupying the country.”
But Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), the chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee with jurisdiction over the Department of Justice, protested that he was excluded from the briefing, in a statement alongside the ranking member Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).
“The administration’s refusal to acknowledge our Committee’s indisputable jurisdiction in this matter is unacceptable and we are following up to ensure the Committee receives warranted information regarding Maduro’s arrest,” the lawmakers wrote in a statement on Monday.
Democrats have complained that Congress was not notified of the operation in Venezuela until after the fact. However, both Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said before the hearing that the situation was handled appropriately.
After the briefing, Thune called it a “very comprehensive discussion.” On the possibility of U.S. troops coming into Venezuela, Thune said he does not have “any sense that that’s going to happen.”
Sen. Jim Risch, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told reporters ahead of the briefing that he would “probably” hold a hearing on Venezuela in the committee.
Speaking with NBC News, Trump said Rubio, Hegseth, Stephen Miller and Vance would oversee U.S. involvement in Venezuela. But he said “me” when asked who is ultimately in charge.
Trump said he is prepared to authorize a second military operation if Rodriguez does not cooperate with the U.S. government, but thinks that won’t be necessary.
“We’re prepared to do it,” the president said. “We anticipated doing it, actually.”
There are still about 15,000 U.S. service members in the Caribbean and they remain on standby in case Trump orders another strike inside Venezuela, a U.S. defense official told The Hill on Monday.
“Our personnel serve at the direction of the President and Secretary of War and our forces remain in the region at a high state of readiness, prepared to project power, defend themselves, and our interests in the region,” the official said.