(NewsNation) — Congressman Rick Crawford says Americans should be 100% satisfied with the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
“It’s in the interest of the American people. It’s in the interest of the Venezuelan people,” the Arkansas Republican stated on “Elizabeth Vargas Reports.”
Crawford was one of eight members of the bipartisan group of lawmakers that were briefed Monday on the capture of Maduro and next steps by various administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
After Maduro was arrested Saturday, President Trump told reporters that the U.S. will run Venezuela “until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition,” adding that American oil companies will take over the country’s petroleum infrastructure.
“What we’ve seen now with President Trump’s position here in the Western Hemisphere is a return to leadership in the hemisphere,” added Crawford. “And quite frankly, our allies, not only are they welcoming that, but they’re acting on that.”
“They want to embrace capitalism and prosperity for their people and self-determination and all those things. And President Trump is saying, ‘I’m happy to help,'” Crawford said.
Regime change in Venezuela would have involved thousands of troops on ground: Crawford
Crawford acknowledged that President Trump wasn’t exactly looking for regime change with Maduro’s capture based on how surgical the mission was.
“What you would have seen as an operational preparation of the environment would have involved tens of thousands of troops on the ground,” he said. “That’s not what took place here. That’s not what President Trump is talking about.”
The response from many of the Venezuelan people, among other expatriates from the country across the Western Hemisphere, celebrating Maduro’s ousting shows there is hope, Crawford feels.
“It’s not good for the United States to be the best house in not a good neighborhood,” said Crawford. “So we’re securing the neighborhood. President Trump should be commended for that.”