Trump says US ‘in charge’ of Venezuela after military operation

WASHINGTON

The US is “in charge” of Venezuela, President Donald Trump said Sunday following a military operation in which the country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife were “captured” and brought to the United States to face criminal charges.

"We're dealing with the people who just got sworn in. Don't ask me who’s in charge because I'll give you an answer and it'll be very controversial," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One when asked if he had spoken to Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, who was named by Venezuela’s top court Saturday as the country’s acting president.

When pressed about what he meant, he responded: "We’re in charge."

"We need total access. We need access to the oil and to other things in their country that allow us to rebuild their country," he said when asked what he needs from Rodriguez.

He threated that Rodriguez “will face a situation probably worse than Maduro” if she doesn't cooperate with the US.

Trump said major US oil companies would be brought in to rebuild Venezuela’s infrastructure, saying they would invest billions of dollars without US government funding.

"The big oil companies (are) going to go in and they’re going to fix the infrastructure. They’re going to invest money. We’re not going to invest anything. We’re going to just take care of the country," he said.

He also said that a large number of Maduro's Cuban security personnel were killed during the raid early Saturday.

"No deaths on our side, but there was a lot of death on the other side, unfortunately. But a lot of Cubans were killed yesterday trying to protect him," he added.

The death toll from the US military operation has risen to 80, the New York Times reported Sunday.

Citing a senior Venezuelan official, the Times said the number could rise further.

Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores landed in New York late Saturday and are being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. They face US federal charges tied to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations.

Maduro has denied the accusations, and officials in Venezuela’s capital Caracas have called for the couple’s release.