Republican Sen. Markwayne Mullin said the Trump administration gave Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro the "chance to leave" the country as its pressure campaign continues to escalate.
"We told him he could go to Russia or another country," Mullin told CNN's State of the Union. "The Venezuelan people have spoken and expressed their desire for a new leader," Mullin added, in reference to last year's elections in which the regime claimed victory despite not showing supporting documentation.
"President' Trump's firm commitment to put an end to this madness in Venezuela will save uncountable American lives and will give the dear Venezuelan people a new chance," Mullin added. "I've heard Turkey and Iran are delightful places to visit this time of the year."
Different reports noted that Trump urged Maduro to relinquish power to avoid being removed by force in a recent phone call. There, the outlet detailed, Trump emphasized that Maduro must leave power along with top regime officials, likely including Diosdado Cabello, Jorge and Delcy Rodriguez and Vladimir Padrino Lopez.
Hours after the call, the administration officially designated the Cartel de los Soles, which the administration accuses Maduro and his top officials of leading, as a terrorist organization, paving the way for strikes inside Venezuela.
The White House also rejected that the conversation included a potential meeting, like The New York times had reported a day prior. And on Saturday, Trump said Venezuela's airspace should be considered "closed."
Earlier on Friday, The Washington Post noted that Turkey has risen as a potential destination should an off-ramp be agreed on. The outlet noted that noted that Caracas and Ankara have friendly ties, exchanging cabinet-level visits in recent years, and have a dynamic trade relationship.
As a result, and considering that Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has a good relationship with Trump, some in Washington D.C. are actively contemplating the possibility.
"At the end of day, what are realistic and acceptable outcomes? Obviously, people are thinking about it, working on it," a person familiar with administration deliberations told the outlet. The person said such a deal could come with guarantees. Namely, assurances that Maduro wouldn't be extradited to the U.S.
In contrast, another report from this week noted that Maduro is reluctant to agree to any deal to leave power because he doesn't believe he would get lasting amnesty.
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