Gang of Eight member unsure about US goal in Venezuela: ‘I do not know’

By Max Rego

In The Hill

Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) is unsure about what President Trump’s endgame is in Venezuela, but he certainly does not want troops on the ground. 

“I do not know what this president’s goal vis-a-vis Venezuela is,” Warner told host Martha Raddatz on ABC News’s “This Week.”

Warner, a member of the Gang of Eight — comprising the House and Senate leaders of both parties and the top GOP and Democratic members of the Intelligence committees — said he has not been briefed on the Trump administration’s intentions with regard to the South American country.

The Pentagon has amassed a significant presence in the U.S. Southern Command region, while the president has authorized at least 22 strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, killing at least 87 suspected “narco-terrorists.”

The U.S. also seized an oil tanker en route to Cuba off the coast of Venezuela on Wednesday. The vessel was sanctioned by the U.S. government in 2022 and was believed to be carrying more than 1 million barrels.

The moves have ramped up tensions with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whom administration officials have dubbed an “illegitimate leader” at the head of a drug-trafficking terrorist network. 

Last Thursday, President Trump pointed to various reasons for the escalation, including concerns over migration from Venezuela into the U.S. 

Warner, the ranking member on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Sunday that while the Maduro regime “has been brutal to the Venezuelan people,” the administration’s actions in the region risk dragging the U.S. into an unnecessary conflict.

He also called for the administration to come to Congress and clarify its intentions in Venezuela, specifically regarding whether it intends to topple Maduro. Administration officials, including Trump, have said the Venezuelan strongman’s days are “numbered.”

“I’m not sure where [Trump is] headed here,” the Virginia Democrat added. “I do fear that boots on the ground in Venezuela could be a disaster.”

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