Secretary of State Marco Rubio, a longtime critic of Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro, is spearheading the Trump administration’s intensified pressure campaign in a bid to curb drug trafficking from the South American nation and to push its strongman leader from power.
Initially, the administration had led a counternarcotics effort against Venezuela, using sanctions, targeted strikes, and other actions with a primary goal of stopping the flow of drugs into the United States, but that effort is now aimed at convincing Maduro that his role is no longer working, reported The Wall Street Journal on Tuesday.
Rubio, a former Florida senator, is working alongside several of Trump’s closest advisers, including chief of staff Susie Wiles and the deputy chief, Stephen Miller, along with Attorney General Pam Bondi, who have been working for several months to align diplomatic, military, and law enforcement actions as part of their pressure campaign against Venezuela.
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