Marco Rubio And Stephen Miller Form Alliance To Escalate Pressure On Venezuelan Regime: Report

Secretary of State Marco Rubio and White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller have formed an alliance to escalate pressure on Venezuela's authoritarian regime, according to a new report.

Politico detailed that the two top officials favor a no-limits approach that could end up toppling the authoritarian government. it added that the development represents a victory for Rubio, considering that Miller was more focused on keeping relations with Caracas stable enough so they would accept deportation flights.

Citing three people familiar with the conversation, Politico noted that the two managed to sideline those who want to preserve ties to maintain access access to the country for large oil companies.

"We seem to be at a point now where the misfit toys have been put in their place and the administration is moving full speed ahead," one of the people told the outlet.

Another report from the Wall Street Journal claims that President Donald Trump has tasked Rubio with playing a leading role in the campaign against Maduro.

The outlet added that while Trump mainly seeks to "stop the flow of drugs into the U.S.," he also hopes to end up removing Maduro from power. The outcome would prove to be potentially beneficial for Washington considering Venezuela's vast oil reserves, the WSJ noted.

Rubio recently warned his Mexican counterpart that the military pressure campaign is set to escalate further. La Politica Online detailed that Rubio cautioned Juan Ramon De la Fuente against getting too close to Caracas. The outlet added that Rubio doesn't want Mexico to go through a similar situation to that of Colombia, considering Washington has revoked the visa of President Gustavo Petro and the two heads of state have been repeatedly clashing in public.

Washington has indeed continued to escalate its campaign, conducting more strikes against alleged drug boats in the Caribbean and other military drills and operations in the region.

The campaign is seemingly having an effect. Citing "well-connected business people" inside the country, the Financial Times detailed that, as a result, Venezuelan leaders are increasingly paranoid and concerned about their personal safety.

The outlet noted that regime figures have changed their mobile phones, are sleeping in different cities every night and have changed their Cuban bodyguards for a new batch from Havana.