Republican lawmakers are divided over whether President Trump should escalate military pressure on Venezuela to oust President Nicol\u00e1s Maduro.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Some Republicans are warning that \u201cregime change\u201d has a history of backfiring on the United States<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Senate Republicans largely support Trump\u2019s aggressive targeting of Venezuelan speedboats suspected of smuggling drugs, but some warn that attacking Maduro\u2019s regime more directly, either by striking targets on land or putting \u201cboots on the ground,\u201d could go too far.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m certainly following the situation closely. I support what the president\u2019s done. I think the question is how forceful we should do this,\u201d Sen. Roger Marshall\u2002<\/u><\/a>(R-Kan.) said. \u201cI think we just have to be very careful when we\u2019re dealing with regime change. It seems to backfire a lot.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Sen. Rand Paul\u2002<\/u><\/a>(R-Ky.) said he believes the administration is pursuing regime change in Venezuela and declared, \u201cI\u2019m opposed to it.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Paul argued that Trump is being arbitrary in striking Venezuelan boats<\/strong> suspected of drug smuggling while pardoning the former president of Honduras, Juan Orlando Hern\u00e1ndez,<\/u><\/a> who was sentenced to 45 years in prison for partnering with cocaine traffickers to smuggle drugs into the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Paul said presidents are getting around Congress\u2019s authority to declare war by themselves declaring \u201cwar against people we designate to be terrorists.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A Republican senator who requested anonymity to comment frankly on Trump\u2019s aggressive pressure against Maduro said the Trump administration seems intent on ousting Maduro<\/strong> even though Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth\u2002<\/u><\/a>and Secretary of State Marco Rubio\u2002<\/u><\/a>told senators in a briefing last week that\u2019s not their goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI do not want to put ground troops in Venezuela.<\/strong> I don\u2019t want to have another Afghanistan or Iraq,\u201d the senator said. \u201cI\u2019m not in favor of U.S.-directed regime change.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rubio last week addressed Senate Republicans\u2019 growing concerns<\/strong> that Trump may be planning a more aggressive intervention in Venezuela to oust the Maduro regime, which many Republicans say has held onto power illegitimately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n White House chief of staff Susie Wiles\u2002<\/u><\/a>told journalist Chris Whipple in an interview for Vanity Fair indicating regime change is Trump\u2019s goal.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cHe wants to keep on blowing boats up until Maduro cries uncle<\/strong>,\u201d Wiles said, going on to suggest that if Trump wants to order land strikes, he would need Congress\u2019s authority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n