Hawkish figures in the GOP like United States Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Rep. Maria Salazar have always been pushing for regime change in Venezuela all the way back to the Barack Obama administration. The only thing that has evolved is the reason why. First, it was about socialism, then about drug trafficking, and in Rep. Salazar’s last appearance on Fox, she admitted Venezuela’s oil reserves are now their primary reason.
Drug trafficking is and has always been a big problem globally. The Donald Trump administration has been very aggressive on drug trafficking, which is commendable, but the first thing to learn about drug dealing is that it’s an “industry” that attracts everyone, from struggling farmers in Colombia to former Olympians in Canada. It’s far too complex to politicize.
