Washington, Jan 9 (NationPress) US Vice President JD Vance emphasized that he is “highly engaged” in the administration’s initiatives regarding Venezuela and presides over regular meetings with White House principals. He dismissed allegations suggesting that he or Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard were excluded from what he referred to as “the Venezuela operation.”

When asked to verify reports indicating that senior officials were sidelined due to worries about military engagement, Vance told reporters, “I’ve heard a couple of things. One, that I was kept out of the planning for the Venezuela operation, that’s false, and another is that Tulsi was kept out of the planning for Venezuela operations. That’s completely false.”

During a White House news briefing, Vance stated that the operation’s planning was tightly controlled within the administration. “We kept it very tight to the senior cabinet-level officials and related officials in our government, and we kept this operation secret for a very long time,” he remarked, adding, “I’m very proud of that.”

Looking forward, Vance framed his responsibilities in accordance with directives from President Donald Trump. “My role’s going to be whatever the president asks me to do,” he said, while also outlining a more organized schedule of meetings and decision-making.

“Every single — or I should say every other day, I’m chairing the meeting that we do on this among White House principals to talk about next steps to try to ensure that Venezuela is stable,” Vance expressed.

He elaborated that the administration aims to influence the behavior of Venezuela’s leadership, citing that the president has tasked the team “to ensure that the new Venezuelan government actually listens to the United States and does what the United States needs it to do in the best interest of our country’s best interest.”

While he refrained from disclosing operational specifics, he indicated that the careful management of planning implied effective internal coordination. “I think it suggests that the team works very well together,” he added.

Vance also addressed inquiries concerning the Caribbean, presenting the administration's strategy as a means to diminish destabilizing illicit income. “The president had a very productive phone call with the president of Colombia yesterday,” he noted, emphasizing that the US continues “to talk at all levels of government with a number of our friends in the Caribbean region.”

Vance asserted that the administration’s measures would curtail the influence of transnational criminal organizations. “When you take away a major source of illegal cartel revenue, which is the cocaine trade, the fentanyl trade, other sources of illicit revenue, you actually remove the power of one of the main destabilizing forces in Latin America and in the Caribbean,” he stated.

He portrayed Trump’s strategy in broadly peace-oriented terms, saying, “We say it all the time. This is the president of peace.” He emphasized that establishing peace within the hemisphere involves making it clear that “the United States is going to be respected, that the United States is willing to take power away from criminal cartel organizations and give it to legitimate governments.”

Vance concluded by stating he would remain involved “as long as the president asks me to be,” adding, “So far, that’s been very involved.”