Marco Rubio Rejects Intelligence Assessment Disputing Tren de Aragua Is Controlled By The Venezuelan Government: 'They've Been in Cooperation'

Secretary of State Marco Rubio rejected an assessment from the intelligence community that disputed the Trump administration's claim about the gang Tren de Aragua being controlled by Venezuela's authoritarian government.

Speaking to CBS News' Face the Nation, Rubio said "they're wrong," claiming that the gang is being "exported by the Venezuelan regime" and citing a case where an opposition member who escaped to Chile appeared to be killed by gang members.

"The FBI agrees that not only is Tren de Aragua exported by the Venezuelan regime, but in fact, if you go back and see a Tren de Aragua member, all the evidence is there, and it's growing every day, was actually contracted to murder an opposition member, I believe, in Chile a few months ago," Rubio said.

Rubio was making reference to the case of Ronald Ojeda, a former military member who had been granted asylum in Chile after opposing Maduro and allegedly participating in efforts to overthrow him.

He was abducted last February when men dressed as Chilean police officers broke into his apartment, seized him in front of his wife and child at 3 a.m., and took him away. Nine days later his body was discovered inside a suitcase buried beneath nearly five feet of concrete, with quicklime used to accelerate decomposition. Chilean authorities concluded in February that the assassination was ordered by Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and executed by members of Tren de Aragua.

Rubio went on to say that Tren de Aragua is a "prison gang that the Venezuelan government has actively encouraged to leave the country," adding that those who have been returned to the country have been "greeted like heroes."

The topic dominated headlines last week after Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard fired two top officials involved in the report disputing such claims. The Washington Post noted that Gabbard has said she is fighting against the politization of the intelligence community.

"The Director is working alongside President Trump to end the weaponization and politicization of the Intelligence Community," said a DNI spokesperson after the news were reported.

The report claims that Nicolas Maduro's government does have some low-level contacts with Tren de Aragua, yet the gang does not operate at his direction. It drew input from the 18 agencies that comprise the intelligence community, with only the FBI not agreeing with the findings.

Rubio agreed with the FBI, saying "there's no doubt in our mind, and in my mind, and in the FBI's assessment that this is a group that the regime in Venezuela uses, not just to try to destabilize the United States, but to project power, like they did by murdering a member of the opposition in Chile."