Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth aggressively jumped to cut off Secretary of State Marco Rubio to yell at a reporter on Capitol Hill.
Two cabinet members walked out of the meeting to brief senators on the US operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and explain the way forward.
Rubio was fielding a variety of questions from reporters when asked how much involvement in Venezuela would cost U.S. taxpayers before it took a cut.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio appeared to speak to the media before Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth forced a CNN reporter to shout. / Brendan Smialowski / AFP via Getty Images
The Secretary of State insisted that it would not cost the US any money and claimed that the oil deal would not.
“None of these troops sit in dry dock waiting for action,” Rubio said. “They’re stationed somewhere in the world. If they’re not here, they’re somewhere else.”
He argued that if the ships were not in the Caribbean, they would be “conducting other activities elsewhere”.
Hegseth stood smiling at times as Rubio spoke, but then he stepped forward, forcing the secretary of state to step aside so he could enter.
“I want to emphasize that question from CNN,” Hegseth said, looking at reporter Manu Raju before launching into a verbal attack.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth yelled at a reporter after a Jan. 7 closed-door briefing with senators about the U.S. capture of Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro. / Heather Diehl / Getty Images
“The questions weren’t asking how much it would cost to be in the Mediterranean, the Red Sea or the Indian Ocean or the Pacific, but now that they’re in our hemisphere and on a counter-cartel mission or making sure an accused person is brought to justice, now you’re asking the question of cost,” Hegseth said, wringing his hands in exasperation. “It’s a false question to begin with.”
But the defense secretary didn’t stop there as he continued to berate the reporter who tried to respond.
“You’re trying to find any angle possible to undermine the success of one of the most historic military missions the world has ever seen,” declared Hegseth.
The defense secretary claimed the operation in Venezuela could only be carried out by the US and argued that the world was “taking notice”.
He claimed to have seized an oil tanker that the US was chasing
While Rubio was fielding questions, Hegseth ignored reporters’ follow-up attempts and spoke louder instead.
“Our military is ready to continue as he said,” Hegseth said, turning to Rubio. “When the president speaks, he means it, he means it. He’s not messing around. We’re an administration of action to advance our interests, and that’s on full display.”
After Rubio pointed out that officials needed to brief House members, he quickly withdrew without taking a question.
Hegseth ignored the questions and made a hasty retreat as the questions screamed whether the US would put boots on the ground.
Before the defense secretary’s rant in front of the cameras, Rubio tried to present the Trump administration’s plan for Venezuela, insisting they won’t wing it despite the criticism.
He said leveraging the deal to get oil out of Venezuela and implementing it depended heavily on “quarantine” to stabilize the country. He reiterated his claim that America will extract 30 to 50 million barrels of oil and sell it.
“That money will be handled in a way that we see distributed in a way that benefits the people of Venezuela, not corruption, not the regime,” Rubio argued.
The secretary of state said the second phase would ensure that the US has access to the Venezuelan market that is “fair.” He said that there will be a transition period in the third phase. He did not give a timeline.
Democratic senators who came out of the briefing criticized the Trump administration’s plan and warned that many questions remain unanswered.
“This is a crazy plan. They are talking about stealing Venezuela’s oil at gunpoint for an undefined period of time to micromanage the country,” said Senator Chris Murphy. “The scope and insanity of that plan is absolutely stunning.”
