Marco Rubio Tasked With Leading Pressure Campaign Against Maduro: Report

President Donald Trump has tasked Secretary of State Marco Rubio to play a leading role in the campaign pressure that ultimately seeks to remove Venezuela’s authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro from power, according to a new report.

The Wall Street Journal detailed that White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, chief of staff Susie Wiles and Attorney General Pam Bondi are also heavily involved in the operation.

The outlet added that while Trump mainly seeks to “stop the flow of drugs into the U.S.,” he also hopes to end up removing Maduro from power. The outcome would prove to be potentially beneficial for Washington considering Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, the WSJ noted.

Rubio recently warned his Mexican counterpart that the military pressure campaign is set to escalate further. La Politica Online detailed that Rubio cautioned Juan Ramon De la Fuente against getting too close to Caracas. The outlet added that Rubio doesn’t want Mexico to go through a similar situation to that of Colombia, considering Washington has revoked the visa of President Gustavo Petro and the two heads of state have been repeatedly clashing in public.

Washington has indeed continued to escalate its campaign, conducting more strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and other military drills and operations in the region.

The campaign is seemingly having an effect. Citing “well-connected business people” inside the country, the Financial Times detailed that, as a result, Venezuelan leaders are increasingly paranoid and concerned about their personal safety.

The outlet noted that regime figures have changed their mobile phones, are sleeping in different cities every night and have changed their Cuban bodyguards for a new batch from Havana.

In this context, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez said citizens should “prepare for the worst.” According to Infobae, the regime said it started conducting military drills and training civilians for combat.

Maduro has again pleaded for peace with the U.S. “We don’t want war in the Caribbean and South America,” Maduro said during a televised message. He then changed to English, saying: “Not war, yes peace. With the people of the United States. Please, please, please. Listen to me. From the people of the Bolivarian Republic.”