White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller says the U.S. is in charge of Venezuela following the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.
Miller told CNN on Monday the U.S. is “by definition” in control of Venezuela after it removed Maduro in a striking military raid and has established a naval blockade of the South American country.
“We are in charge because we have the United States military stationed outside the country. We set the terms and conditions,” Miller said. “We have a complete embargo on all of their oil and their ability to do commerce. So for them to do commerce, they need our permission.”
Following Saturday’s operation to seize Maduro, President Donald Trump declared that the U.S. would “run” Venezuela until an orderly transition of power could be achieved. Asked to clarify, he indicated that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Miller and other U.S. officials would work in coordination with Venezuelan leaders to oversee the country.
In conversations with Venezuela’s acting leader Delcy Rodríguez, U.S. officials have made a list of demands they want to see Venezuela fulfill, including stopping the sale of oil to U.S. adversaries, restricting drug trafficking and removing operatives of nations and networks hostile to the U.S.
Despite the pressure on Venezuela, Miller indicated he doesn’t envision the Trump administration getting involved in the particulars of operating the nation’s government.
“The United States is in charge,” Miller said. “But obviously that doesn’t mean President Trump is setting the bus fare schedule inside the country.”
Miller said that extradition of close allies of Maduro and others in Venezuela who are wanted by the U.S. government — including Maduro’s son, Nicolás Ernesto Maduro Guerra — may be “part of a future conversation” as the U.S. continues to oversee Venezuela, and encouraged wanted Maduro allies in the country who are part of the current government to “cooperate fully and completely with the United States.”
Miller also responded to criticism of his wife, former White House aide Katie Miller, who encouraged the Trump administration to launch a military action to take control of Greenland — a territory aggressively coveted by Trump since returned to office. Miller did not rule out future military actions in Greenland, and reiterated Trump’s belief that the U.S. should take control of the Danish territory.
“The real question,” he said, “is by what right does Denmark assert control over Greenland? What is the basis of their territorial claim? What is their basis of having Greenland as a colony of Denmark?”