Jack Reed: “I think he did a very good job in laying out some of the problems of transparency and oversight.”

President Trump’s effort to turn the U.S. military into an investor in Venezuelan oil is a blatant abuse of power and taxpayer dollars.

President Trump has been explicit about his desire to extract Venezuela's oil," Reed said in a statement.

Six months later, not a single objective has been achieved. Indeed, he has weakened our position in the Middle East and the world significantly.

His administration removed Nicolás Maduro from power, threw its weight behind the unelected leadership that replaced Maduro, and is now attempting to use U.S. military assets and taxpayer-backed financing to boost a private oil venture.