Secretary of State Marco Rubio sharply criticized the regime of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in an interview with "Hannity" Tuesday as President Donald Trump intensifies pressure on the leader to abdicate power.
"The Maduro regime is not a legitimate government," Rubio told Fox News host Sean Hannity. "What it is is a transshipment organization. It allows cocaine and other drugs that are produced in Colombia to be trafficked through Venezuelan territory and – with the cooperation of elements of the regime – are allowed to… leave Venezuela on airplanes and ships headed towards the United States."
The Trump administration has continued strikes on alleged drug boats near Venezuela and expanded its military presence in the region.
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"The president has authorized a counter-drug mission in the region," Rubio said. "The fact that Maduro is upset about it tells you that drugs are coming out of Venezuela.
The administration is moving forward with plans to end temporary protected status for an estimated 600,000 Venezuelans living in the United States.
Rubio accused the Maduro regime of "openly" cooperating with drug dealers and said his leadership is fueling instability in South America.
"The Venezuelan regime is a source of instability in the entire region," he claimed. "Over eight million Venezuelans have flooded into neighboring countries as a result of the regime's activities within their own country, including into the United States."
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The former Florida senator claimed the "problem" with Maduro is his habit of failing to honor agreements.
"If you wanted to make a deal with him [Maduro], I don't know how you do. He's broken every deal he's ever made… Maduro has made five deals with different parties over the last 10 years and has broken every single one of them," Rubio told Fox News.
The Secretary of State discussed a failed deal between former President Joe Biden and the Venezuelan leader that "no one talks about."
"Maduro asked [Biden] that his nephews, convicted drug traffickers, be released from U.S. prisons," Rubio explained. "He asked that his chief money launderer… be released from U.S. custody before he stood trial. In exchange, he promised to hold free and fair elections. He got the nephews back, the drug dealers, he got the bag man back, and he never did the free and fair elections."
"They suckered Joe Biden. They're not going to sucker Donald Trump," he added.
President Trump recently revealed he had a phone call with Maduro. The Venezuelan leader has been warned by the president to step down from power or potentially face U.S. military action.
During a cabinet meeting Tuesday, Rubio praised President Trump’s foreign policy efforts, crediting him for one of the most "transformational" years in foreign policy since World War II.
Despite the difficulty of dealing with Maduro, Rubio said Trump will continue attempting to work it out.
"The president is a unique figure in modern American history. He's prepared to sit down and meet and talk to anybody," he said. "But at the end of the day, there has to be somebody that you can actually make a deal with. We've made a deal with the Chinese, but Maduro's never kept a deal. That doesn't mean the president won't try."
