Defense chief backs U.S. military role in Venezuela to deliver aid

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said the U.S. military has a role in the crisis in Venezuela, but strictly for humanitarian assistance. Appearing before the House Armed Services Committee Tuesday, Mr. Shanahan said the use of the U.S. military for humanitarian aid is “vital.” “One of the reasons we were drawn in by the State Department was because we could do this so quickly,” he said. President Trump has maintained that U.S. military intervention in Venezuela is still on the table under certain scenarios as the uprising against socialist Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro led by National Assembly leader Juan Guaido — whom the U.S. and a number of regional states consider the country’s rightful “interim president” — appeared to be intensifying by the day. More…