This should surprise no one after Trump National Security Advisor and well known neocon John Bolton made an appearance on Fox Business Network and basically admitted the ultimate goal of United States' activity in Venezuela is to take over their oil production.
Donald Trump was asked about Venezuela and whether he'd negotiate with Nicolás Maduro to convince him to exit during an interview on CBS' Face the Nation this Sunday, and Trump put military intervention squarely on the table:
MARGARET BRENNAN: What would make you use the U.S. military in Venezuela? What's the national security interest?
DONALD TRUMP: Well I don't want to say that. But certainly it's something that's on the- it's an option.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Would you personally negotiate with Nicolás Maduro to convince him to exit?
DONALD TRUMP: Well he is requested a meeting and I've turned it down because we're very far along in the process. You have a young and energetic gentleman but you have other people within that same group that have been very very - if you talk about democracy - it's really democracy in action.
MARGARET BRENNAN: When did he request a meeting?
DONALD TRUMP: We're going to see what happened. A number of months ago he wanted to meet.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But now because you're at that crisis point--
DONALD TRUMP: Well now we'd have to see.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Would you negotiate that?
DONALD TRUMP: I would say this. I decided at the time, "no" because so many really horrible things have been happening in Venezuela when you look at that country. That was the wealthiest country of all in that part of the world which is a very important part of the world. And now you look at the poverty and you look at the anguish and you look at the crime and you look at all of the things happening. So, I think the process is playing out - very very big tremendous protests.
So much for him pretending he's a non-interventionist.
