Rand Paul Again Warns Against Regime In Venezuela: 'Risks Empowering The Very Cartels We Are Trying To Defeat'

Republican Sen. Rand Paul again spoke against ousting authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela, saying that even though he is a dictator, there are many others around the world and "that does not mean we send Americans to fight every one of them."

Paul made the claim in a social media post where he also included his message before the Senate before a vote that, however, ended up rejecting a motion to have Congress approve military action against the South American country.

"As the phrase goes, the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different result. That is very much like Washington and its perpetual compulsion toward regime changes across the globe: Iraq. Libya. Syria. Now Venezuela. The result is always chaos, cartels, terrorism, and endless war," Paul said during a passage of his message.

After speaking against ousting Maduro, Paul said an eventual war in Venezuela "isks empowering the very cartels we are trying to defeat and would trigger mass migration on our own doorstep." "Most importantly, the Constitution is clear. Only Congress can authorize war," Paul added.

The Senate ended up voting 51-49 against the measure, with Paul and Lisa Murkowski of Alaska joining all Democrats in supporting the measure. John Fetterman, who last month had opposed a war powers measure, this time voted with his party.

Politico noted that the vote had some suspense, considering that two other Republicans, Susan Collins and Todd Young, were on the fence. They ended up voting along Republicans, who said the administration has the right to act and reduce the flow of drugs into the country.

The death toll of U.S. strikes against alleged drug vessels in the Caribbean and the Eastern Pacific has now reached at least 70 following the latest episode, when three people were killed on Thursday, according to Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

The U.S. has now destroyed at least 18 vessels, including one "narco sub," CBS News detailed.

Chances of an imminent escalation towards strikes in Venezuela seemed to lower this week following two reports. One claimed that President Donald Trump expressed reservations about ordering strikes in the South American country, fearing Maduro won't leave power even in that case.

The other noted that Trump officials told lawmakers in a briefing that the administration does not currently have legal authority to launch military strikes inside the South American country.

However, they said, the administration is now seeking a new Justice Department opinion that could allow such attacks without congressional approval.