The next is the transcript of the interview with Sen. Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas, that aired on “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” on Jan. 4, 2026.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We’re joined now by the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee Arkansas Republican Tom Cotton. Good to have you ever right here. Senator.
SEN. TOM COTTON: Thanks, Margaret.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You have got oversight of the intelligence neighborhood which was deeply concerned on this operation to enter Venezuela militarily and extract Nicholas Maduro and his spouse. Does the US nonetheless assess that the regime in Venezuela is made up of Narco terrorists with ties to Iran, Russia, China and Cuba?
SEN. COTTON: Properly, first off, let me commend not solely our navy; as President Trump mentioned this was a wonderful operation, solely the US navy may have pulled it off, however they could not have pulled it off with the help — with out the help of the professionals within the intelligence neighborhood, particularly on the Central Intelligence Company, and I am glad that we now have a director, John Ratcliffe, that has restored confidence within the CIA and the president – the president has, I believe the President respects the CIA as a lot as he ever has. It is an awesome day, not only for our navy, for our CIA. There isn’t any query that the individuals in Venezuela who’re nonetheless in control of the equipment of the federal government are sanctioned and indicted officers, they usually’ve been in league with Nicolas Maduro till simply yesterday. I believe President Trump needs to provide them an opportunity to show a brand new web page. Now, that is occurred previously. Should you take a look at what’s occurred in Syria, as you realize, Ahmed al-Sharaa, was an Islamic terrorist. He is now successfully a pro-American chief of Syria. Muammar Gaddafi, the identical method, had a lot blood on his fingers after the Iraq Struggle, he turned over a brand new web page and got here out of the chilly. Now, the distinction in these two circumstances is that they made concrete concessions to the US and our coverage objectives and pursuits, or they’d an extended historical past of turning the nook like Ahmed al-Sharaa has–
MARGARET BRENNAN:– Or it is a wholly new authorities.
SEN. COTTON: We have, we have got to guarantee that the people who find themselves now in control of the equipment of the Venezuelan Authorities should not going to proceed Nicholas Maduro’s methods, and I believe that is what the President made clear yesterday.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But it surely sounds such as you assume that is truly attainable? For these people to chop all ties to the cartels?
SEN. COTTON: The president, the president needs to provide them an opportunity to show the web page in Venezuela and to assist America obtain our coverage objectives there.
MARGARET BRENNAN: How a lot time would you permit for that?
SEN. COTTON: I would not permit a lot personally, however I do know these conversations are ongoing. As Secretary Rubio mentioned earlier on the present in your interview, we would like them to cease the drug and the weapons trafficking. We would like them to take the refugees again. We would like them to kick out the Iranians, the Cubans, the Islamic radicals, like Hezbollah, and simply return to being a traditional nation that may assist construct stability, order and prosperity, not simply in Venezuela, however in our yard.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Ought to a free and democratic Venezuela nonetheless be a aim of the US of America? And in that case, do you hear from the administration a plan to transition to that?
SEN. COTTON:I believe it should–
MARGARET BRENNAN: As a result of Secretary Rubio wasn’t–
SEN. COTTON: I believe it needs to be a aim. The opposition leaders, Miss Machado, Mr. Gonzalez, have mentioned they assume there must be new elections. I hope the federal government that is proper now in place in Venezuela will permit them to return, together with many different exiles who’ve left, political exiles who’ve left Venezuela, and that in some time frame, in all probability shouldn’t be going to be days or perhaps weeks, perhaps quite a lot of months, you may have new elections in Venezuela which can be free and truthful. The Venezuelan individuals have made clear now beneath Nicholas Maduro, that they don’t need a Chavista regime governing them. They need to say in their very own future, Venezuela has a protracted historical past of steady, orderly authorities that was pleasant to the US. We’re their primary buyer for oil, and we work collectively to assist construct prosper- prosperity and stability in our personal yard. I hope that we will try this once more with the long run authorities of Venezuela.
MARGARET BRENNAN: The CIA — or CBS is reporting that the CIA supply contained in the Venezuelan authorities helped the US observe Maduro’s location main as much as this seize by the Military’s Delta Drive. The president mentioned yesterday, the US shouldn’t pay out that $50 million bounty that was on the top of Maduro. Does that imply that the CIA asset inside nonetheless works for us?
SEN. COTTON: Properly, I’ve no touch upon CIA sources or strategies in Venezuela or elsewhere–
MARGARET BRENNAN: However they will not be receiving the $50 million reward?
SEN. TOM COTTON: I am going to merely say that the CIA’s wonderful work right here, that has instilled such confidence within the president, is a reminder not simply to Nicolas Maduro’s cronies in Venezuela, however different unhealthy guys all world wide, that we now have excellent insights into what they’re doing and what they’re as much as.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So when the President says we’ll run Venezuela, you might be assured that there are precise American property serving to to do this. Is that how I ought to —
SEN. COTTON: I am assured that we now have excellent perception into Venezuela and different adversaries, overseas nations, and terrorist teams world wide. That is why–
MARGARET BRENNAN: Why was China there?
SEN. COTTON: — the President– that is why the President has such confidence in John Ratcliffe and the CIA. Properly, China was attempting to offer help to Venezuela throughout a US strain marketing campaign. However the place had been they when Delta Drive went in and obtained Nicola Maduro? They had been nowhere to be discovered. And albeit, that is the identical factor you noticed in June with China and Russia in Iran. We struck Iran. China and Russia did nothing. They stood idly by. That is a reminder that the US remains to be the world’s dominant superpower. Our associates are very completely happy as we speak. Our enemies are very nervous.
MARGARET BRENNAN: However the particular person operating the nation, Delsey Rodriguez, spoke yesterday with Russia’s prime diplomat. They’re involved with Russia. The protection minister has deep, deep ties to Russia. Is there a US, Russia settlement right here? As a result of there was hypothesis primarily based on testimony to Congress again in 2019 by considered one of Trump’s prime Russia advisers, Fiona Hill, that Russia has been floating a Venezuela for Ukraine deal here-
SEN. COTTON: No, this–
MARGARET BRENNAN: -for a while. Is there any such deal?
SEN. COTTON: No, this was a US operation that was designed to take away Nicholas Maduro as a result of he was a US indicted drug trafficker, and you do not get immunity from American justice once you’re indicted by our courts, simply since you’re the illegitimate communist dictator of one other nation. And–
MARGARET BRENNAN: However to be clear, that is not what I am saying right here. Is there an implication that if Russia does not meddle in America’s yard, South America, the US, will do one thing much less in Ukraine–
SEN. COTTON: No, there’s–
MARGARET BRENNAN: –which Russia calls its yard?
SEN. COTTON: No, there isn’t any such implication. And clearly, Russia does not want any type of pretext to take action. It is invaded Ukraine twice during the last eleven years. There isn’t any such implication right here in any respect. And that is an operation the US carried out on our personal, with none coordination or cooperation from different nations to advance our nationwide curiosity, which is to cease the drug trafficking and cease Venezuela from cooperating with nations like Russia and China and Cuba and Iran.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Okay, I need to ask you about authorities right here on the opposite facet of the industrial break that we’re going to take. So let me try this and are available again. All proper, stick with us. Senator Tom Cotton.
***COMMERCIAL***
MARGARET BRENNAN We return now to our dialog with Senate Intelligence chairman Tom Cotton, Senator Cotton, the president mentioned Saturday {that a} second wave navy assault had been deliberate. It wasn’t mandatory, but it surely may nonetheless be carried out. What would necessitate it? And what would you help?
SEN. COTTON Properly, what I took the president to imply is that what we simply did with Nicholas Maduro could possibly be executed once more to different Venezuelan leaders. A number of of them are indicted in US courts. They’re sanctioned by the US and Canada and European Union and different nations. And in the event that they proceed down the trail that Maduro took, the took the nation of Venezuela, then we may conduct the identical type of operation as him. I took that because the president, urging them to vary their methods or face the identical penalties.
MARGARET BRENNAN And would you help a stabilization force– US boots on the bottom, because the President mentioned he would not rule out?
SEN. COTTON We already had boots on the bottom, as Nicholas Maduro realized the arduous method, it is at all times the President’s possibility to make use of the American navy to guard Americans and pursuits. And clearly, we now have many Americans inside Venezuela, and we now have many pursuits and property as effectively. I believe the president–
MARGARET BRENNAN: However you realize that fight and stabilization forces are–
SEN. COTTON: However I do not assume he- I do not assume he plans to do this. And I believe we have seen too the presiden- the President’s method of conflict during the last or over 5 years in workplace. Should you take a look at 4 main operations, the killing of the ISIS chief in Syria, the drone strike in opposition to the Iranian terrorist mastermind in Iraq, the strike in opposition to Iran’s nuclear amenities. And now this seize of Nicolas Maduro, when our very important nationwide pursuits are implicated, the President takes daring, audacious direct motion. He accomplishes the mission, after which the mission is over. In some methods, that is the best mission of all of them. I imply, as spectacular as our navy was in Iran in June or in its first time period in Iraq and Syria in opposition to these terrorist masterminds, it is in all probability harder–
MARGARET BRENNAN: Yeah.
SEN. COTTON: –to seize somebody and get out with no American lack of life than it’s to kill a goal or to explode nuclear amenities.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So you might be drawing a distinction there when it comes to authorities and use of the navy. The Struggle Powers Act requires the president to inform Congress of the explanation for committing troops inside 48 hours of their deployment, and requires they be eliminated inside 60 to 90 days, except Congress authorizes it. You okay with this open ended dedication to maintain forces as they’re?
SEN. TOM COTTON
Properly, I believe he has eliminated the troops. They had been solely there for a pair hours to nab Nicolas–
MARGARET BRENNAN: You are speaking concerning the Delta Drive operators who’re on the bottom.
SEN. COTTON: Sure.
MARGARET BRENNAN: However there’s a vital navy buildup throughout South America proper now.
SEN. COTTON: Sure.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You are snug with that? Does Congress want any authority–
**CROSSTALK**
SEN. TOM COTTON: No, I strongly help it. I imply, a part of, a part of that, that deployment, was to gather intelligence to conduct this operation to quarantine the oil commerce that Venezuela was sending to Cuba or sending to our adversaries world wide.
MARGARET BRENNAN: But it surely’s not mission completed?
SEN. COTTON: It received’t- we can’t have completed our mission till Venezuela begins appearing like a traditional nation. It stops the drug trafficking and human trafficking, it kicks out Islamic radicals and Iranians and Cubans and helps the US construct a extra steady, affluent Western Hemisphere. That is the final word aim, and that is what President Trump laid out yesterday.
MARGARET BRENNAN So final month, the Chief of Workers to the president, Susie Wiles, advised Self-importance Honest that attacking targets on Venezuela’s mainland, sovereign territory, would drive Trump to get congressional approval. Quote, If he had been to authorize some exercise on land, then it is conflict, then we might want Congress. You’re a coequal department of presidency. Why does not the President want you or your authority or your session?
SEN. TOM COTTON: Properly, I seek the advice of routinely with the President and his senior advisors.
MARGARET BRENNAN: You, personally, certain. However
SEN. COTTON: Yeah. Properly, because the Chairman of the intelligence committee–
MARGARET BRENNAN: However as Congress–
SEN. COTTON: Because the chairman of the Intelligence Committee, they preserve me apprised of what their plans are and what is going on on. I imply, I spoke within the final 24 hours, not simply with the President, however along with his senior group, each man that was on that stage with him yesterday, Marco Rubio, John Ratcliffe, Pete Hegseth, Dan Caine, Stephen Miller. The core architect of the President’s coverage right here, I’ve spoken with each single considered one of them within the final 24 hours. Congress has acted to offer the President the sources and authority that he wants to guard the very important pursuits of the US, whether or not it is taking out this drug trafficker Nicolas Maduro who had contributed to the deaths of tons of of Arkansans and tons of of 1000’s of Individuals, or placing Iran’s nuclear amenities, he has the inherent authority beneath our structure to guard these American nationwide pursuits and because the chief legislation enforcement officer to guarantee that indicted drug traffickers face justice, whether or not they’re indicted in Venezuela or indicted in the US.
MARGARET BRENNAN: However by his personal admission, the DEA administrator mentioned that cocaine costs have gone up almost 45% drug traffickers have solely modified routes. Venezuela shouldn’t be a fentanyl producer, not a cocaine producer. Do you actually assume that this has ended the drug downside?
SEN. TOM COTTON Venezuela is exclusive in Latin America, although, as a result of the Maduro regime is itself in league with the drug trafficking cartels. It does not simply tolerate them, or it does not simply fail to manage its territory. It’s in league and earnings from drug trafficking cartels. That is the excellence between Venezuela and different nations.
MARGARET BRENNAN Senator Cotton, thanks on your time as we speak.
SEN. COTTON: Thanks, Margaret.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We’ll be proper again.
