1/28/2026

 

Samuel Clifford

 

Introduction

 

Marcus Rubio is the descendant of Cuban immigrants who left Cuba and became American Citizens legally as they pursued the American Dream. Currently he serves as the 72nd Secretary of State in the United States. Previously he had served as a Senator in the U.S Senate between 2011 and 2025. Marco Rubio is testifying today (January 28, 2026) before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee about U.S. policy toward Venezuela, facing pointed questions from both Republicans and Democrats.

 

Context of Venezuela

 

I have two articles on my website currently about the relations between the United States and Venezuela late last year. You can view those here:

 

Trump Shuts Down Venezuela Airspace

 

Growing Tensions Between the United States and Venezuela

 

Yet, I don’t have an article on the events of Jan. 3, 2026 as I married my wife that day and didn’t have time to write. Therefore, a brief overview of the events that took place that day will be given here.

 

On January 3, 2026, the United States launched a limited, rapid special‑operations mission in Venezuela, referred to by the Trump Administration as Operation Sentinel Shield. According to official statements, the operation began with coordinated intelligence‑driven raids conducted by U.S. special forces in and around Caracas, targeting Nicolás Maduro and several senior security officials. The mission relied on speed, surprise, and electronic disruption rather than large troop deployments. Within hours, U.S. officials announced that Maduro had been captured and removed from power, and that the operation had concluded without an extended military presence or broader combat operations across the country.

 

In the immediate aftermath, the administration emphasized that the action was narrowly focused and time‑limited, but the level of transparency became a central point of debate. The White House released selected details about the planning and legal rationale, but many operational specifics, including intelligence sources, internal deliberations, and the full chain of authorization, remained classified. Officials framed the secrecy as necessary for operational security, while members of Congress from both parties pressed for fuller disclosure, particularly regarding the legal basis for conducting the mission without prior congressional authorization. Public briefings were frequent but tightly controlled, leaving a mix of confirmed facts, unanswered questions, and ongoing scrutiny in the days that followed.

 

Senate Foreign Relations Committee

 

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is currently chaired by Senator Jim Risch of Idaho, with Senator Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire serving as the ranking member, according to the most recent publicly available committee roster. The committee’s jurisdiction covers the full range of U.S. foreign policy, including oversight of the State Department, diplomatic relations, international treaties, foreign aid programs, and U.S. participation in global organizations. It also reviews and approves ambassadorial nominations and other senior diplomatic appointments, giving it a central role in shaping how the United States engages with the rest of the world.

 

What Did Marco Rubio Testify Today?

 

Marco Rubio testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Venezuela and stated what happened, why it happened, and some of what is happening next concerning the South American Country.

 

Firstly, Secretary Rubio stated that the election in Venezuela in 2024 was not a fair election. He stated that western nations including the European Union, Latin American countries and the United States, more than fifty countries in total, rejected Nicolás Maduro’s claim to victory in the disputed 2024 election and do not recognize him as Venezuela’s legitimately elected president. In open defiance of Venezuelan law, Maduro refused to step down after voters removed him from office in the most recent election and relied on violence to hold on to power. Analysis of the election reveals that the 2024 election in Venezuela was unfair. 

 

Venezuela’s 2024 presidential election was manipulated in favor of Nicolás Maduro. Multiple investigations found that original tally sheets from voting centers, documents produced by Venezuela’s own voting machines, showed opposition candidate Edmundo González had received far more votes than Maduro’s government‑announced totals. Independent researchers, including those writing in respected academic outlets, concluded that the official results did not match the data recorded at polling stations. Human rights organizations also documented widespread irregularities, including intimidation, censorship, and arrests of opposition figures during and after the voting process. Several democratic governments, including the United States, members of the European Union, and multiple Latin American countries, publicly rejected the official results on the grounds that they were inconsistent with the available evidence. Together, these findings form a broad consensus among independent observers that the election was not conducted or reported fairly.

 

Sources for Election Fraud

 

Casey, Nicholas, et al. “Venezuela’s Opposition Says It Has Proof Maduro Lost the Election.” The New York Times, 31 July 2024.

 

“Venezuela 2024 Election: Evidence of Fraud and Repression.” Human Rights Watch, 2024.

 

Goodman, Joshua. “Experts Say Venezuela’s Election Results Don’t Match the Data.” Associated Press, 2 Aug. 2024.

 

“Venezuela’s 2024 Presidential Vote: A Stolen Election.” Center for Strategic and International Studies, Aug. 2024.

 

“EU Questions Credibility of Venezuela’s Election Results.” BBC News, 1 Aug. 2024.

 

“U.S. Rejects Venezuela’s Announced Election Results.” U.S. Department of State, 2024.

 

Secondly, Rubio testified that Maduro was mistreating the citizens he was supposed to be serving. He stated that Nicolás Maduro and those aligned with him siphoned off Venezuela’s wealth, leaving ordinary citizens in deepening hunger and hardship while transforming the country into a hub for transnational criminal activity.

 

Sources for Rubio’s Claim:

 

Richer, Alanna Durkin, and Larry Neumeister. “How Cocaine and Corruption Led to the Indictment of Maduro.” Associated Press, 4 Jan. 2026.  

 

“Breaking Down the U.S. Criminal Indictment Against Ousted Venezuelan Leader Maduro.” CBC News, 4 Jan. 2026.  

 

“Prosecution of Nicolás Maduro and Cilia Flores.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 2026.  

 

“Cocaine, Corruption and Machine Guns: A Look at the Charges Against Venezuela’s Maduro.” France 24, 4 Jan. 2026.  

 

United States Department of Justice. “Nicolás Maduro Moros and 14 Current and Former Venezuelan Officials Charged with Narco‑Terrorism, Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Criminal Charges.” Office of Public Affairs, U.S. Department of Justice, 2026.

 

Thirdly, Rubio claimed the Cartel de los Soles moved large quantities of narcotics into the United States and funneled profits to the Cuban government, whose security forces helped suppress dissent in Venezuela and shield Maduro from accountability. During this period, Venezuelans faced deepening poverty, hunger, and severe fuel shortages despite the country’s substantial natural resources, while elements of the nation’s energy sector were diverted to support the Cuban state rather than meet domestic needs.

 

Sources for Rubio's Claim:

 

United States Department of Justice. “Nicolás Maduro Moros and 14 Current and Former Venezuelan Officials Charged with Narco‑Terrorism, Corruption, Drug Trafficking and Other Criminal Charges.” Office of Public Affairs, 26 Mar. 2020.

 

InSight Crime. “Cartel of the Suns.” InSight Crime, 2023.

 

Human Rights Watch. “Venezuela: Events of 2023.” World Report 2024, Human Rights Watch, 2024.

 

Casey, Nicholas, and Anatoly Kurmanaev. “Venezuela’s Collapse Is the Worst Outside of War in Decades.” The New York Times, 17 May 2019.

 

International Crisis Group. “Running on Empty: Venezuela’s Fuel Crisis.” Crisis Group Latin America Report, no. 85, 2021.

 

Piñon, Jorge R. “Venezuela’s Oil Shipments to Cuba Continue Despite Domestic Shortages.” University of Texas at Austin Energy Institute, 2022.

 

BBC News. “Cuba’s Security Role in Venezuela: What We Know.” BBC News, 25 Feb. 2019.

 

Fourthly, Rubio claimed that China was receiving oil from Venezuela at a remarkable discount of around 20$ a barrel less than market price. He stated the oil was being taken from the people of Venezuela and basically given to China.

 

Sources for Rubio's Claim:

 

Ma, Josephine. “US Senator Marco Rubio Says China Getting Cut‑Price Oil from Venezuela.” South China Morning Post. Accessed 28 Jan. 2026.

 

Rubio Testifies On Current U.S. Occupation in Venezuela

 

Rubio stated the Trump Administration wants a friendly, stable, prosperous, and democratic Venezuela. Rubio said that objective number one was to stabilize Venezuela so that civil war and differing factions do not fight for control and millions of Venezuela retreat to Columbia. He states direct and honest communication with the people who currently control the nation is crucial to stabilizing the region. 

 

Rubio then stated another tool is U.S. sanctions on Venezuelan oil. Rubio commented that U.S. sanctions on Venezuela are designed to prevent Maduro’s government from freely profiting from Venezuela’s oil while still allowing the country’s natural resources to generate revenue for its people.  Under this system, any legally permitted Venezuelan oil sale had to occur at the real global market price, blocking the regime from offering steep discounts to political allies or using secret deals to move money outside public oversight. The revenue from these sales could not go to the Maduro‑controlled state oil company. Instead, it had to be deposited into restricted accounts abroad that the U.S. monitored to ensure transparency. Funds in these accounts could only be released for humanitarian or public‑benefit purposes; such as food, medicine, infrastructure, or civilian services, rather than for political corruption. He even stated that the current leaders of Venezuela pledged to buy medicine and other items directly from the United States.