Vice President J.D. Vance on Thursday rejected media reports that Tulsi Gabbard, the director of national intelligence, was shut out of planning for the raid on Nicolas Maduro because of her past opposition to military intervention in Venezuela.
Mr. Vance, speaking at the White House media briefing, also rejected a report that said the administration tried to minimize his own involvement.
“That’s completely false,” Mr. Vance said. “We’re all part of the same team. We kept it very tight to the senior Cabinet-level officials and related officials in our government.”
“We kept this operation secret for a very long time. I’m very proud of that,” Mr. Vance said. “I think it suggests the team works very well together.”
Ms. Gabbard has warned against foreign interventions by the U.S. As a Democratic congresswoman in 2019, she said the U.S. should not try to choose other countries’ leaders.
This week, however, she praised the U.S. raid.
“Kudos to our servicemen and women and intelligence operators for their flawless execution of President Trump’s order to deliver on his promise thru Operation Absolute Resolve,” Ms. Gabbard wrote on X.
Mr. Vance said he’s been involved in planning meetings on Venezuela.
He said he chairs a meeting among White House principals to ensure that Venezuela is stable under its interim government.
“I’m going to be as involved as the president wants me to be,” Mr. Vance said.
Mr. Maduro faces an indictment in New York on narco-terrorism charges.
