QUESTION: Why were you saying this behind closed doors?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, there's a lot of operational details that can't be discussed publicly, obviously, for obvious reasons. So, as we move forward we'll describe our process, which is a threefold process in Venezuela. I've described it to them now.
Step one is the stabilization of the country. We don't want it descending into chaos. Part of that stabilization, and the reason why we understand and believe that we have the strongest leverage possible, is our quarantine. As you've seen today, two more ships were seized. We are in the midst right now, and in fact about to execute, on a deal to take all the oil - they have oil that is stuck in Venezuela; they can't move it because of our quarantine and because it's sanctioned. We are going to take between 30 and 50 million barrels of oil. We're going to sell it in the marketplace - at market rates, not at the discounts Venezuela was getting. That money will then be handled in such a way that we will control how it is disbursed in a way that benefits the Venezuelan people - not corruption, not the regime. So, we have a lot of leverage to move on the stabilization front.
The second phase will be a phase that we call recovery, and that is ensuring that American, Western, and other companies have access to the Venezuelan market, a way that's fair; also, at the same time, begin to create the process of reconciliation nationally within Venezuela so that the opposition forces can be amnestied and released and - from prisons or brought back to the country, and begin to rebuild civil society.
And then the third phase, of course, will be one of transition.
Some of this will overlap. I've described this to them in great detail. We'll have more detail in the days to follow. But we feel like we're moving forward here in a very positive way.
QUESTION: (Off-mike.)
QUESTION: Secretary Rubio, some senators - some senators who were in that briefing describing your operation variously, as that you're winging it, that there's no plan for Venezuela going forward, or that this is all —
SECRETARY RUBIO: Yeah, I know, they're going to say that. I used to be a senator too; that's what you always say when it's the other party. The bottom line is we've gone into great detail with them about the planning; we've described it to them. In fact, it's not just winging it, it's not just saying or speculating it's going to happen - it's already happening. Like, the oil arrangement that we've made with PDVSA on their sanctioned oil that they can't move - understand, they are not generating any revenue from their oil right now. They can't move it unless we allow it to move because we have sanctions, because we're enforcing those sanctions.
This is tremendous leverage. We are exercising it in a positive way. The President described it last night. Secretary Wright will have more to say on it today, who is involved in running this portfolio, and we feel very positive that not only will that generate revenue that will be used to the benefit of the Venezuelan people - and we'll ensure that that's what the case is - but it also gives us an amount of leverage and influence and control over how this process moves forward.
QUESTION: (Off-mike.)
QUESTION: Mr. Secretary, Mr. Secretary, on Denmark. On Denmark, sir. Mr. Secretary, on Denmark. Why has the administration not taken Denmark's offer to discussion the situation in Greenland? And will you —
SECRETARY RUBIO: Oh, I'll be meeting with them next week.
QUESTION: But will you take military intervention off the table?
SECRETARY RUBIO: I'm not here to talk about Denmark or military intervention. I'll be meeting with them next week; we'll have those conversations with them then. And - but I don't have anything further to add to that today.
QUESTION: (Off-mike.)
QUESTION: (Off-mike.)
QUESTION: Can you clarify your comments to lawmakers? Does the U.S. intend to buy Greenland?
SECRETARY RUBIO: What? What, what?
QUESTION: (Off-mike.)
QUESTION: Does the U.S. intend to buy Greenland? Can you clarify your comments to lawmakers this week?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, that's always been the President's intent from the very beginning. He said it very early on. I mean, this is not new; he talked about it in his first term. And he's not the first U.S. president that has examined or looked at how could we acquire Greenland. There's an interest there. But - so I just reminded them of the fact that not only did Truman want to do it, but President Trump's been talking about this since his first term.
QUESTION: (Off-mike.)
SECRETARY RUBIO: What, what?
QUESTION: The White House put out a statement last night saying that the military option is on the table.
SECRETARY RUBIO: You've lost - you've really lost a lot of weight. Good job.
QUESTION: Thank you, Mr. Secretary. They said that the military option is on the table. So is the administration really willing to risk the NATO Alliance by potentially moving ahead with a military operation?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Guys, what I think the White House said yesterday is what I will tell you now and I've always said. The President always retained the option, if he - every president, not this President, every president - always retains the option - I'm not talking about Greenland; I'm just talking about globally. If the President identifies a threat to the national security of the United States, every president retains the option to address it through military means.
As a diplomat - which is what I am now, and what we work on - we always prefer to settle it in different ways. That included in Venezuela. We tried repeatedly to reach an outcome here that did not involve having to go in and grab an indicted drug trafficker. Those were unsuccessful, unfortunately.
QUESTION: On Venezuela, the people of Venezuela are waking up to the same regime. Do you not worry about that?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, first of all, the bottom line is that there is a process now in place, where we have tremendous control and leverage over what those interim authorities are doing and are able to do. But obviously this will be a process of transition. In the end, it will be up to the Venezuelan people to transform their country. We are prepared, under the right conditions, using the leverage that we have, which includes the fact that they cannot move any oil unless we allow them to move it —
QUESTION: How long might it take?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, again, I'm not going to give you a timeline on it. We want it to move as soon as possible. But the - we didn't expect this would - it's just been three days since this happened, four days since this happened. So, I understand that in this cycle in society we now live in, everyone wants instant outcomes; they want it to happen overnight. It's not going to work that way. But work - we're already seeing progress with this new deal that's been announced and more deals to follow. You're already seeing how the leverage the United States has over those interim authorities is going to begin to lead to positive outcomes.
QUESTION: You said - you just said —
QUESTION: How much does this cost American taxpayers? American - how much - how long can the American public —
SECRETARY RUBIO: It can - it doesn't cost us - it doesn't cost us —
QUESTION: Just the involvement, the U.S. involvement in Venezuela, how much will it cost the taxpayers?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, it isn't going to cost us any money. For example, this oil deal that's happening doesn't cost us any money - on the contrary. And if it opens up —
QUESTION: The oil (inaudible) will cost no money to the American taxpayer?
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, these - look, I can't - I don't have the numbers. You - what operation are you talking about? The entire thing?
QUESTION: Yeah.
SECRETARY RUBIO: Well, these troops are going to be - none of these troops sit in a dry dock waiting for action. They're deployed somewhere in the world. If they're not here, they're somewhere else. Just today, our forces not deployed to the Caribbean seized a boat, a sanctioned boat tied to the IRGC, that tried to flee from us. That happened somewhere else. We are constantly involved in action. We have boats in the Mediterranean; we have ships in the Middle East; we have ships in the Indo-Pacific. These ships - if they weren't in the Caribbean, they'd be somewhere else conducting activity. That's what the Navy does.
QUESTION: Yeah.
QUESTION: On that - on that note, sir, is - on that note —
SECRETARY RUBIO: Yeah.
SECRETARY HEGSETH: I want to - I want to emphasize that question from CNN. The question is never asked, how much does it cost when they're in the Mediterranean or the Red Sea or the Indian Ocean or the Pacific. But now that they're in our hemisphere on a counter-cartel mission or ensuring that an indicated individual comes to justice, now you're asking the question of cost. It's a disingenuous question to begin with.
QUESTION: Will there be boots on the ground? Will there be boots on the ground?
SECRETARY HEGSETH: You're trying to find any angle possible to undermine the success of one of the most historic military missions the world has ever seen. The level of sophistication that Senate just was briefed on and the House was briefed on, a classified level, is something only the United States of America can accomplish. The world is taking notice of that. Certainly, Venezuela is taking notice of that. And it continues, because two oil tankers - two overnight - were seized by the United States of America, stateless or sanctioned, because the oil blockade, the quarantine of oil out of unsanctioned or stateless - sanctioned or stateless vessels continues. That leverage will continue, as Secretary Rubio outlined.
QUESTION: Are there more tankers to be seized?
QUESTION: (Off-mike.)
SECRETARY HEGSETH: So our military is prepared to continue this.
QUESTION: More tankers to be seized?
QUESTION: (Off-mike.)
SECRETARY HEGSETH: As he said, the President, when he speaks, he means it. He's not messing around. We are an administration of action to advance our interests. And that is on full display. We're happy to brief the House and the Senate because we have nothing to hide.
QUESTION: Sir?
QUESTION: Secretary Hegseth?
QUESTION: (Off-mike.)
QUESTION: Secretary Hegseth?
SECRETARY RUBIO: No, no, no. Two quick things. Okay, number one - because we have to go, because we've got to brief the House, and if we don't and they're pissed at us, we're going to - you guys better defend us. That was because we were talking to you.
I would make one more point and it's a very interesting point. One of those ships that was seized that had oil in the Caribbean - you know what interim authorities are asking for in Venezuela? They want that oil that was seized to be part of this deal. They understand - they understand that the only way they can move oil and generate revenue and not have economic collapse is if they cooperate and work with the United States. And that's what we see are going to happen.
We've got to go talk to the House, guys. I apologize.
