Stephen Miller, White House Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy, was interviewed on CNN’s The Lead on 5 January. Asked if the US was really serious about running Venezuela, he replied:
‘What the President said is true. The United States of America is running Venezuela. By definition that’s true. We live in the real world, that is governed by strength, that is governed by force, that is governed by power. These are the iron laws of the world since the beginning of time.
‘What I’m saying is that by definition we are in charge because we have the United States military stationed outside the country. We set the terms and conditions. We have a complete embargo on all of their oil and their ability to do commerce. So for them to do commerce, they need our permission. For them to be able to run the economy, they need our permission.’
Transcribed from Novara Media Live podcast, 6 January, with Steven Methan and Kieran Andreu.