MUST SEE: 5 takeaways — and epic shut downs — from Rubio’s Senate hearing on Venezuela

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From The Hill: Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Wednesday urged patience on U.S. efforts to rehabilitate Venezuela’s oil industry and eventually return the country to democratic governance.

The secretary’s remarks came during a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Rubio’s first appearance before lawmakers since the Trump administration’s audacious operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.

Rubio, who also serves as national security adviser, did not rule out the potential for President Trump to order another military attack against Venezuela, but he cautioned that the U.S. is not positioned to take immediate action.

The former senator from Florida fielded nearly three hours of questioning, with Democrats grilling him on Trump’s disregard for legal guardrails. Frustration emerged on both sides of the aisle over the administration icing out the legislative branch.

“I was a big fan of consultation when I was sitting over there,” Rubio remarked. “Now it’s a different job, different time.”

Here are the top 5 takeaways from the hearing, according to The Hill:

Rubio doesn’t take military force off the table

Rubio stated that Trump reserves the right to use military force in Venezuela if Delcy Rodríguez fails to cooperate with U.S. demands.

“The president never rules out his options as commander in chief to protect the national interest of the United States,” Rubio said. “I can tell you right now with full certainty, we are not postured to, nor do we intend or expect to have to take any military action in Venezuela at any time. The only military presence you will see in Venezuela is our Marine guard.”

However, he assured senators that at this moment, U.S. military operations in Venezuela are limited to the capture of Maduro.

Rubio sets low expectations for pace of change

The administration outlined a three-phase plan for Venezuela’s transition to democratic governance, but no timeline was provided. While acknowledging the opportunity for change, Rubio emphasized the need for progress within three and six months.

“I can’t give you a timeline of how long it takes, it can’t take forever, it’s not even been four weeks,” Rubio said. “Now, for the first time in literally a decade, there is the opportunity that something could change. There’s not the guarantee that something will change, but there is the opportunity that something will change.”

Rubio says current oil scheme is short-term fix

Rubio corrected Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), saying the U.S. has a quarantine, not a blockade, on Venezuelan oil exports. The U.S. is working with Trafigura and Vitol to sell Venezuelan oil quickly to stabilize the country and prevent production halts.

“We had to move that oil very quickly. The long-term plan is not those two trading companies. The long-term plan is for them [Venezuela] to have a normal energy program that sells directly into the market, to refineries and to companies that are exploiting and exploring it,” Rubio said.

Both sides frustrated with lack of transparency

Republicans on the committee expressed frustration with the administration’s lack of communication and transparency regarding its actions in Venezuela and the Western Hemisphere. Sen. John Curtis (R-Utah) and Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) criticized the administration’s justification for military strikes and questioned the lack of consultation with Congress.

“I do think the administration could get Congress to be a better partner by informing us better,” Curtis said.

Paul pushed back on the administration’s argument that it’s not in a state of war with Venezuela.

“Our arguments are empty, the drug busts isn’t really an argument, it’s a ruse, the war argument — not a war, is a war — is a ruse, it’s not a real argument. We do what we do because we have the force, we have the might, because it’s in our interest,” he said. “I think the arguments are invalid.”

Democrats defend Greenland, NATO against Trump

Democrats criticized Trump’s threats against Greenland, arguing they weaken transatlantic relations and push allies towards adversaries like China. They urged Rubio to reinforce the U.S. commitment to NATO, highlighting Trump’s denigration of NATO troops as harmful to security.

“President Trump’s threats to take Greenland have shaken public confidence in the United States to the core,” Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.), ranking member of the committee, told Rubio.

“I heard from one Danish American woman whose son holds both citizenships and is approaching conscription age. She is worried that her son might one day be forced to choose between the two countries he loves,” she said, referring to her trip to Denmark as part of a bipartisan delegation.

Rubio was celebrated online for his testimony, with one user calling him “hands down the best man for this job.

Vice President JD Vance wrote in an X post, “Watching Tammy Duckworth obsessively interrupt Marco Rubio during this hearing is like watching Forest Gump argue with Isaac Newton.”

Here is the clip he was referring to:

Rep. Carlos A. Gimenez (R-Flor.) said Rubio was “giving another master class in statesmanship today.”

“Without a doubt, the most consequential, brilliant Secretary of State in US history,’ he added.

Legal analyst Jonathan Turley said, “Rubio is extraordinarily good at this. He is unflappable and stays on message and on point. The man could talk the bolts off a bridge.”

The Department of State posted several clips from the hearing, as well as a compilation of Rubio shutting several senators down.

Read more at The Hill

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