Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar lit a match on live television Tuesday, calling for nothing less than a U.S. invasion of Venezuela during an interview on Fox Business — then fanning the flames with a stunning, evidence-free allegation that the Maduro regime is handing uranium to America’s adversaries and terror groups.
Speaking with host David Asman, the Florida Republican praised President Donald Trump for having the “courage” to consider military action against Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, whom she labeled the head of a “transnational criminal organization.” In Salazar’s telling, marching U.S. forces into Caracas isn’t an act of aggression — it’s a rescue mission.
But she didn’t stop there.
Salazar claimed, without offering proof, that Venezuela is supplying uranium to Hezbollah, Hamas, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, and Nicaragua. “Come on,” she said. “It’s time for the United States to do what we need to do.”
Her remarks immediately raised alarms, not least because no credible evidence supports her sweeping uranium accusations. Venezuela does hold some potential uranium reserves, and partnered with Iran for exploratory work in 2009 — but experts say there’s zero indication the country is mining, refining, or exporting uranium to hostile regimes.
Salazar also pitched a more transactional rationale for military action, calling Venezuela’s vast oil reserves a “windfall” for the United States.
The rhetoric veers sharply from longstanding U.S. policy. While Washington has sanctioned the Maduro government under both Republican and Democratic administrations, Trump has gone further, weighing possible strikes on Venezuela’s military infrastructure under the banner of anti-drug operations.
Salazar’s comments come as Venezuela continues to spiral under Maduro’s authoritarian rule, with opposition leaders barred from elections, economic collapse driving mass migration, and millions fleeing hunger and hyperinflation. But her push for invasion — paired with unsubstantiated nuclear claims — jolted even seasoned foreign-policy watchers.
