Mike Pence talks Venezuela: ‘All options are on the table’

In Jacksonville on Monday, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence told Florida Politics that “all options are on the table” regarding action in Venezuela.

However, Pence stopped short of saying when action may take place, including potential American involvement in active regime change.

U.S. Sens. Marco Rubio and Rick Scott have advocated for American action, with Scott saying a Syrian-style genocide is possible.

However, even with the humanitarian crisis the Senators described, the White House seems to be exploring options that fall short of military involvement.

“What’s happening in Venezuela is a tragedy,” Pence said, “driven by the dictatorship and the socialism of Nicolas Maduro.”

“Maduro has no legitimate claim to power,” Pence added. “And Maduro must go.”

“This President has led a coalition of over 50 nations around the world that have recognized interim President Juan Guaido,” Pence added.

“We’ve continued to bring economic and diplomatic pressure to bear, not just on Venezuela, but on their patrons in Cuba and we will continue to do that,” Pence said.

“President Trump has made it clear: All options are on the table,” the VP added.

We asked if a military invasion was among them.

“All options are on the table,” Pence repeated. “The United States is not going to stand idly by while Venezuela continues to collapse into tyranny and deprivation.

“Three million people have fled Venezuela because of the results of the socialism and the dictatorship and the oppression of Nicolas Maduro,” Pence said.

“Failed states know no boundaries,” Pence added. “It is in our interest as a hemisphere to come together around restoration of liberty and the rule of law in Venezuela.”

When asked if there was a timeframe for regime change, Pence was not forthcoming with an answer.

A week ago, Scott delivered a hardline speech in South America, while conceding that regime change was not as quick as he and other advocates hoped.

Scott acknowledged that expectations of a civilian uprising to remove Maduro and install Guaido were too ambitious in retrospect.

“The uprising a few weeks ago may not have achieved the results we hoped for in our timeframe, but that should not deter us,” Scott said. “Don’t blink.”

Scott then added that it was “tough luck” that things didn’t go as expected, but America needed to continue to “chip away.”

And as far as he knows, the White House is in support.

“He’s committed. He hasn’t said anything to me to suggest he’s not committed,” Scott said of President Donald Trump.

Scott likened Maduro to apartheid South Africa, saying that both were in “pariah” status.

However, South Africa never saw American forces used against its apartheid regime, and it’s possible Venezuela may never either.