House Republicans split over whether Trump should pursue regime change in Venezuela
Republicans diverged on Tuesday when asked if the Trump administration should push for regime change in Venezuela.Despite hopes of a new direction for Venezuela, lawmakers who spoke to Fox News...
By Fox News · Fox News
Republicans diverged on Tuesday when asked if the Trump administration should push for regime change in Venezuela. Despite hopes of a new direction for Venezuela, lawmakers who spoke to Fox News Digital on Tuesday were split on whether the United States should support a regime change in Caracas. Many expressed fears about repeating mistakes of the past, like toppling regimes in the Middle East, while others emphasized a need to remove a security threat in the United States' backyard. "Yes. Maduro is an illegitimate ruler and extremely dangerous for the Western Hemisphere," Rep. Michael Baumgardner, R-Wash., said, referring to Venezuelan President Nicholás Maduro. "Having a government we could partner with there would be in America’s national security interests." TRUMP PUSHES PEACE IN EUROPE, PRESSURE IN THE AMERICAS — INSIDE THE TWO-FRONT GAMBLE Rep. Barry Moore, R-Ala., who agrees with Baumgardner, also framed his stance as a matter of national security. "If you look at who Maduro is tied to, he’s tied to Iran, China and Russia. Those are not our friends. We know they’re not going to do anything to help us. I think President Trump understands there’s an opportunity here," Moore said. But not all Republicans agree with Moore and Baumgardner. "Looking back at our history, it isn’t something that hasn’t played out," Rep. Blake Moore, R-Utah, said. "Peace through strength and strong deterrents against a horrific regime is the best approach, but going in and making it happen on our own? We’re still dealing with the effects of Iran, right?" Moore, who serves as the House GOP Conference vice chair, said he hopes Venezuela manages to enact political change but expressed pessimism in the current environment. FORMER MISS VENEZUELA BLAMES 'SOCIALISM AND OPEN BORDERS' FOR HER COUNTRY'S DEVASTATING COLLAPSE "I am very hopeful that the Maduro regime will be changed. Problem is, they don’t have the ability for free [and] fair elections to be able to make that happen. And that’s…