Republican Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar slammed top Venezuelan official Diosdado Cabello after he claimed she has ties to Colombian drug-trafficking operations.
Salazar reacted on social media, saying that the claim is "not just ridiculous" but "laughable." "His nerves and terror are evident: they know the U.S. has never been so determined to end the transnational criminal organization he and dictator Nicolas Maduro lead," she added.
Que un narco–militar corrupto y represor como Diosdado Cabello acuse a María Corina Machado y a mí de estar financiadas por el narcotráfico no solo es ridículo: da risa y vergüenza ajena.
— María Elvira Salazar 🇺🇸 (@MaElviraSalazar) August 29, 2025
Su nerviosismo y terror son evidentes: saben que nunca antes Estados Unidos ha estado tan… https://t.co/uVrb6o4iZQ
"I'll always be on the side of the Venezuelan people and brave women like Maria Corina. She represents the FUTURE of a free and prosperous Venezuela, not the misery they try to cling to," the lawmaker concluded, in reference to the opposition leader who has been in hiding for over a year.
Salazar is among the officials suggesting that the deployment of U.S. warships off the Venezuelan coast could lead to the end of the Maduro regime. On Friday, Axios quoted an unnamed official claiming that Maduro should be "sh---ing bricks" as a result of the latest developments.
The official went on to say the operation could be "Noriega part 2," a reference to the 1989 military operation that ended with the capture of then-Panamanian President Manuel Noriega. He also faced U.S. drug-trafficking charges.
"The president has asked for a menu of options. And ultimately, this is the president's decision about what to do next, but Maduro should be sh---ting bricks," the official added.
Others who talked to the outlet, however, had differing views. Another official said "this is 105% about narco-terrorism," even though later said that if "Maduro winds up no longer in power, no one will be crying."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt, on her end, kept the mission's goals ambiguous, saying Maduro is the "fugitive head of a drug cartel" and is not considered the country's legitimate president.
However, Axios noted in another passage of the piece that most officials privately believe an invasion is unlikely. The Colombian government also claimed on Thursday that the Trump administration won't carry out a military intervention in Venezuela.
"The press has created a narrative that is sowing confusion in the population. From the conversations we've had with the ambassador and U.S. lawmakers who visited the country over the past weeks we concluded there is no such intention," Villavicencio said.
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