WASHINGTON _ For months, hawkish Florida Republicans have dominated the narrative on Venezuela, meeting with President Donald Trump days before the U.S. recognized Juan Guaido as the country's legitimate leader and arguing that the president sees the situation in Venezuela differently than his "America First" desire to pull U.S. troops out of Syria.
But as Nicolas Maduro maintains control of the military three days after Guaido declared Operation Liberty underway, Sen. Rick Scott calls for U.S. troops to enter Venezuela and a senior administration official says "it's now or never," other conservative voices close to the president are arguing more forcefully that U.S. military intervention in Venezuela is not the right move.
"I'm not the only Republican urging restraint when it comes to uniformed U.S. military on the ground in Venezuela and I believe the president to be aware that there are some conservatives who hold that view," Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz said in an interview with the Miami Herald.
