WASHINGTON—Representative Gus Bilirakis (R-FL) discussed the Trump Administration's efforts to crack down on Venezuelan drug cartels in a recent interview with The Floridian, expressing support for the President's actions and supportive of regime change in Venezuela.
Trump recently ordered a "full blockade" of the South American country after seizing an illegal oil tanker last week, saying, "Venezuela is completely surrounded by the largest Armada ever assembled in the History of South America. It will only get bigger, and the shock to them will be like nothing they have ever seen before."
While Rep. Bilirakis said he supported removing Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro, "I really do not want boots on the ground or anything like that, but I think he is a real cancer for the region for a lot of reasons."
His colleague, Representative Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), recently spoke in favor of removing Maduro, saying, "I support the ouster of Maduro. For one, he is the illegitimate ruler of Venezuela as he stole the elections held last year, and on top of that, he is also the head of a narco-terrorist state responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans. For the sake of our security as well as the restoration of democracy in Venezuela, Maduro must go."
We then asked Rep. Bilirakis supports the continued strikes on cartel boats attempting to smuggle drugs, to which he replied, "I trust [Secretary of War Pete] Hegseth, and I think that we needed to do this a long time ago, getting rid of these cartels, and you would not do it if you did not think they were drug dealers, and we have got a real problem in this country with drugs."
The conversation turned to Trump's recent designation of the Clan del Golfo (Gulf Clan), Colombia's largest drug cartel, as a foreign terrorist organization, prompting us to ask Bilirakis if he supported actions against Colombian cartels.
"You have got to do it case by case," the Florida Congressman answered, adding, "I do not have all of the information, but I support what this administration is doing with the cartels."
