After a briefing with the entire House, Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said, “We’re not involved with boots on the ground” in Venezuela.
Responding to questions from reporters, he added, “We don’t anticipate boots on the ground,” in Venezuela, Greenland or anywhere else that Trump administration officials have floated taking action in in recent days.
His remarks came after White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that while there are currently no boots on the ground in Venezuela, “the president, of course, reserves the right to use the United States military if necessary.”
Later, in the White House briefing, Leavitt didn’t rule out the possibility of using military forces in Greenland.
“All options are always on the table for President Trump as he examines what’s in the best interest of the United States, but I will just say that the President’s first option always has been diplomacy,” she said. “Again, look at Venezuela, he tried ardently to strike a good deal with Nicolás Maduro and he told him I will use the United States military and you will not like it, if you don’t take such a deal, and look at what happened.”
Johnson also spoke about the goal of the U.S. to open the door for democracy in Venezuela, saying that the mission won’t be paid for by the American people.
“I don’t assume that any U.S. taxpayer dollars will be spent to run an election in Venezuela,” he said.