(Politico)-Sen. Lindsey Graham on Sunday defended the White House’s decision to strike Venezuelan boats, hinting that President Donald Trump may even “expand” military operations in the region.
In an interview with CBS’ Margaret Brennan on “Face the Nation,” the South Carolina Republican said Trump is “doing the right thing.”
“President Trump told me yesterday that he plans to brief members of Congress when he gets back from Asia about future potential military operations against Venezuela and Colombia,” Graham said. “So there will be a congressional briefing about a potential expanding from the sea to the land. I support that idea.”
Since the administration began its strikes in early September, more than 30 people have been killed. The administration has repeatedly said such actions are protecting Americans from incoming drugs and cartels.
But critics of the administration have argued the strikes are illegal, particularly since there is no way to prove after the fact that the targets of the strike were guilty of anything.
Graham on Sunday pushed back on the criticism and attacked Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
“The end game is to make sure that Venezuela and Colombia cannot be used to poison America, that the narco-terrorist dictator Maduro no longer be able to threaten our country and to send in drugs to kill Americans,” he said.
But some Republicans have also condemned the president’s actions.
Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) and James Lankford (R-Okla.) both argued against the strikes. Lankford said that he would be “apoplectic” if former President Joe Biden had done the same thing.
Still, Graham dismissed the concerns, promising senators that more information is forthcoming. He also issued a warning to Maduro.
“The game is changing when it comes to drug traffickers and drug cartels,” Graham said. “We’re going to use military force like we have in the past to protect our country. That’s the new game we’re playing, and I’m glad we’re playing that game, and if I were Maduro, I’d find a way to leave before heat goes down.”
CORRECTION: Remarks by Sen. James Lankford (R-Okla.) were incorrectly attributed in an earlier version of this article.
