Jack Reed: “Are they a national security threat to the United States, justifying legally--you're a lawyer--the imposition of this…”

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.

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.

When President Trump cuts military exercises to flatter a dictator or punishes South Korea for declining to join a war he started, all of our allies – and adversaries – think that America’s commitments are negotiable.

It is far past time for President Trump to recognize the lasting harm that Pete Hegseth is inflicting on the Department of Defense.