The Pennsylvania senator told his party to “stop comparing everything to Iraq.”
In an interview on Tuesday, Senator John Fetterman said he would not support a full-scale U.S. invasion of Venezuela but defended President Trump’s actions there in the capture of dictator Nicolas Maduro.
Fetterman defended the special military operation that led to Maduro’s capture and extrication from Venezuela as a “surgical” one in a recent interview. He also said that he was “not really concerned” about President Trump’s intentions to pursue the country’s oil reserves.
In defiance of the Democratic position on Trump’s actions in Venezuela, Fetterman told his own party to “stop comparing everything to Iraq” in response to their concerns that Trump had initiated a prolonged occupation of a foreign country.
“What’s the governing principle here in action? It seems to me, it’s just, ‘If it comes from the Republican side, then it must be terrible.’ I know that’s what’s popular. But for me, I want to try to be a voice of reason,” said Fetterman.
U.S. Representative Chris Deluzio from Pennsylvania, a Navy veteran who served in Iraq, offered the opposite sentiments over Trump’s actions in Venezuela.
“My generation of veterans knows the heavy costs and long-lasting wounds of unnecessary forever wars fueled by a lust for oil abroad. No more,” he said.
Fetterman questioned Democrats’ opposition to Trump’s actions after consistently joining Republicans in denouncing Maduro’s “illegitimate” government and “brutal” rule.
In the recent interview, Fetterman pointed to former President Joe Biden’s decision to raise the reward for Maduro’s arrest to $25 million.
“We want him gone. I stand up to these strongmen. Well, do you? Are you just full of shit? Or do you want something done when you have these kinds of situations?” Fetterman said in reference to former President Biden’s inaction.
Fetterman said that while he wouldn’t support a full-on invasion, he supports the president’s ability to act as commander-in-chief of the military.
He defended the military operation as “a surgical strike that I absolutely think, overall, was decent… I think any president should have that kind of discretion.”
The comments against Democrats are the latest in a series of events when Fetterman sided with Republicans and bucked his own political party.
He has been a staunch supporter of Israel in its conflict with the terrorist organization Hamas and voted with Republicans to reopen the government as Democrats insisted on a painful government shutdown.
