By Sen. Jim Risch
WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, joined Special Report with Bret Baier on Fox News this evening to discuss the Trump Administration’s recent operation in Venezuela. Click below to watch:
When asked about the removal of Maduro:
“When you’re in the business of flooding drugs into the United States, having elections the way Maduro got into power, that’s not right. It’s not good for our hemisphere. It’s bad for the United States of America, bad for the American people who we work for.”
When asked about the transition of power in Venezuela:
“This is not an operation to start a forever war in Venezuela. It wasn’t an operation to change the regime, although, of course, that happened because the man committed the crimes he did and now has to pay for it. But if you look carefully at what happened when the United States went in there, we were very careful to see that we did not disrupt the infrastructure of the country. For instance, the police and other military operations were not touched by this.”
Risch on next steps for the people of Venezuela and the role of the U.S.:
“It is important that the Venezuelan people step up and get to a place where there can be a very rational and reasonable election. There’s been celebrations by Venezuelans all over the world, they’re glad to see Maduro gone. But the Venezuelans are now going to have to step up. That’s what we want to see them do. We’re not imperialists. We don’t want to run this country. We don’t want to make this a situation where America is running the country. It needs to be done by the Venezuelan people. We want to encourage them.”
About Jim Risch
Jim Risch proudly represents the people of Idaho in the United States Senate. He currently chairs the Foreign Relations Committee and sits on the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources. Risch previously served as Governor, Lieutenant Governor, and State Senator. For the latest press releases and constituent services visit risch.senate.gov.
