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GOP Congresswoman Says America "Needs To Go In" To Venezuela; Trump Says He Will Pardon Former Honduran President Hernandez; Affordability Takes Center Stage In Surprisingly Close TN Race; Trump Commutes Sentence Of Private Equity Chief Convicted Of Fraud. Aired 12:30-1p ET
Aired December 01, 2025 - 12:30 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[12:30:01]
DANA BASH, CNN ANCHOR: Up next, Venezuela and what the U.S. plans to do in South America, particularly that nation. And that question is really fueling a fissure inside of MAGA. I'm going to talk to a Republican congresswoman who says, quote, "We need to go in." Stay with us.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
BASH: President Trump's drumbeat to military action in Venezuela has exposed a tension between the hawks and the America First wings within his own party. This morning, Marjorie Taylor Greene posted this, quote, "Fix health insurance. Not regime change in Venezuela."
[12:35:09]
But some in his coalition are full steam ahead. And that includes my guest now, Republican Congresswoman Maria Elvira Salazar of Florida. Thank you so much for being here. Appreciate it.
REP. MARIA ELVIRA SALAZAR (R), CHAIRWOMAN, WESTERN HEMISPHERE SUBCOMMITTEE: My pleasure.
BASH: Last week in an interview, you gave three reasons why the U.S. needs to go in. Oil, support for U.S. enemies, support for U.S. -- excuse me, support for people who are fighting U.S. enemies, I should say, and drug trafficking. We're going to get to some of those reasons in a moment, but I wanted to ask you what you specifically mean by go in.
SALAZAR: Going -- and thank you for the opportunity. That means to be able to -- exactly what we're doing, to be able to liberate Venezuela from this guy who is right now has kidnapped the country, who is a very important drug dealer, who heads, as you know, the Suns (ph) Cartel. And they are just pushing a lot of drugs into our country.
So it is the duty of the commander-in-chief to protect the homeland from that type of attacks, which we consider --
BASH: How?
SALAZAR: -- terrorist attacks.
BASH: Are you talking about boots on the ground, U.S. boots on the ground in Venezuela?
SALAZAR: Listen, I'm not really sure what type of military we need to use because I'm not in the Armed Services Committee, but I do know that the President has made very clear specifically to Maduro that he has to go. So the President is trying to avoid any type of armed conflict.
It's the Maduro regime who's trying to stay in power and continue harming our country in many levels, as you said -- national security, drug trafficking, lack of democracy. So Maduro has a very long list of very bad things that he's done in the last 25 years.
BASH: Well, there's certainly been a lot of attempt to intimidate him, to push him, to convince him, to cajole him in lots of different ways, including a phone call with President Trump. It hasn't worked so far.
I just want to be clear. You -- are you supportive of military action that includes airstrikes and even boots on the ground, if need be? Why don't we put this into context, right? This is not a, what, the United States, we have the legal framework, we have created, meaning the administration, the Republican Party in power has created a framework of legality.
We have the laws supporting us. This is a non-international armed conflict. We're not invading Venezuela. We're not taking out, we're not asking to leave the legitimate president of a country. We are taking out, or we are giving him the opportunity to leave with his wife and his children before --
BASH: But what if he doesn't?
SALAZAR: Oh, well, but you know, if he doesn't, then we have -- the President has said it clearly, we have the duty to remove him from power because he is a harm to the United States.
BASH: And how far should that go?
SALAZAR: The commander-in-chief --
BASH: How far should that military action go?
SALAZAR: Well, that, you know, like I said, I am not an expert on this and I'm sure that the Pentagon and the CIA and everyone that works for the President has this plan mapped out. I do know that I talked to the opposition, the opposition is ready.
I do know that we have a very solid plan. And, look, this is not the first thing -- the first time that it happens in history. It happened every single president. Many of the presidents have had a situation that is similar to this one, Panama with Bush, Clinton with Kosovo -- Kosovo, I should say, Obama with Libya. So there are a lot of -- BASH: Yes.
SALAZAR: -- series of incidents, armed conflicts --
BASH: Well, I'm glad that you mentioned that.
SALAZAR: -- where we have --
BASH: I'm glad that you mentioned that because --
SALAZAR: Yes.
BASH: -- we were just looking and thinking about just, let's say the last quarter century of history. The U.S. has pushed for and used military action in most cases for regime change. Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, you mentioned Syria. None of them has worked out the way American leaders.
SALAZAR: Yes, but you didn't mention Panama. It worked. It worked very well. I'm talking about the Western Hemisphere.
I do know my Western Hemisphere really well. And I I'm -- I can assure you that Venezuelans who voted 80 in favor of the opposition and 20 against Maduro are more than happy and they're welcoming a change of regime and they're welcoming the fact that Venezuela will continue, will be again part of the international community, not a pariah that it helps our enemies.
Because you know very well that Hezbollah, Hamas, Iran, hey, you know, as a news reporter, I have covered Venezuela for the last 25 years. And I can assure you that Chavez and Maduro do not bring anything good to the United States. They have given a beachhead to Iran, to Hezbollah, to Hamas, to Russia and to China.
China is their number one clients for oil. That needs to change immediately. We need to be the number one client for oil.
[12:40:03]
BASH: I'm glad you mentioned oil because that is one of the three issues that you had mentioned --
SALAZAR: Yes.
BASH: -- and I want to ask you about that. You brought up that there is a possible windfall of up to $1 trillion in economic activity for oil companies as one of the reasons for, quote, "going in." I just want to be clear. So one of the reasons you want regime change is to access Venezuela's oil?
SALAZAR: Listen, one of the reasons why I want is because I want to liberate the hemisphere from thugs like Maduro. And I do know that everyone in the hemisphere, from Argentina to Canada would love to deal with American companies, including the Venezuelans. They would love to have the American oil companies going in, helping them restructure their whole oil business because it's completely destroyed. That did not happen with the Russians. It did not happen with the Chinese.
So I do believe that the American presence is exactly, not only what Venezuelans want, the whole hemisphere. And it's been our fault. The American governments, not only President Trump, because he's the only one who's been paying attention to the hemisphere.
But for the last 25 years, the last 40 years since Ronald Reagan, we have completely abandoned the Western Hemisphere. Right now -- and they have been begging, meaning the countries, the 27 countries that compose this continent have been begging Americans to help them to be part of their economic bonanza. So that's what's in Venezuela.
BASH: You mentioned --
SALAZAR: American companies, period.
BASH: American companies taking over the Venezuelan oil fields?
SALAZAR: Not taking over. Not taking over. Bringing their technology, bringing their legal framework, bringing the opportunities, bringing our know-how, the way we conduct business. That's what Venezuelans wants.
BASH: Before I let you go, you used the word thug, which, you know, makes sense.
SALAZAR: Yes.
BASH: Another person who could be called a thug is the former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez --
SALAZAR: Indeed.
BASH: -- who was convicted --
SALAZAR: Yes.
BASH: -- in an American court --
SALAZAR: Yes.
BASH: -- for drug trafficking, spending two decades in politics in Honduras --
SALAZAR: Yes.
BASH: -- helping to flood the United States with cocaine.
SALAZAR: Yes.
BASH: You want to get rid of Maduro. You've been very clear about that.
SALAZAR: Yes.
BASH: The President says that he is going to pardon Hernandez. Are you OK with that?
SALAZAR: I would have done -- I would have not done that, but I'm not the commander-in-chief and I do not have the pen that grants the pardons. I do not know what happened --
BASH: Do you think it's a mistake?
SALAZAR: I do -- listen, the President has prerogative and he has -- he makes the decisions. But if I would have been in that position, chances are, but I -- again, I do not know what happens, but I do know that --
BASH: Are you worried it sends a mixed message?
SALAZAR: I think that it was, I would have never done that. I don't think that that was what I would have done, but I repeat, I'm not in the Oval Office. I do know that right now what the President is doing with Venezuela is exactly correct for many reasons. And I -- that's why I stick to what I'm telling you.
Well, we are --
BASH: Congresswoman --
SALAZAR: -- in an imperfect world, but I would have not taken that action as for what you're asking me.
BASH: Congresswoman, thank you so much for being here. I appreciate it.
SALAZAR: My pleasure. Always a pleasure to be with you.
BASH: Thank you.
And tomorrow, the political world will turn its attention to a GOP stronghold in Tennessee. Yes, that's going to happen. We're going to tell you why next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:47:49]
BASH: To borrow from the great Dolly Parton, Democrats are pouring themselves a cup of ambition in Tennessee. Tomorrow, pieces of Nashville and its rural neighbors head to the polls to fill a vacant seat in Congress. The district is very, very red.
President Trump won it by 22 points last year. The special pits Democrat Aftyn Behn, a progressive state legislator, against Matt Van Epps, a former state commissioner who has the support of President Trump and the state's governor. If past is prologue, when it comes to the main issue at the heart of this very surprising campaign, well, you won't be surprised at the main issue.
Take a listen.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
AFTYN BEHN (D), TENNESSEE CONGRESS CANDIDATE: I'm Aftyn Behn. We all know the system is rigged in Washington. Here's how it works. Politicians make it easy for their rich donors. Tax cuts for billionaires and burying the Epstein files while hardworking Tennesseans get a rough ride.
MATT VAN EPPS (R), TENNESSEE CONGRESS CANDIDATE: I didn't risk my life for this country just to watch career politicians wreck it.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Matt Van Epps, nine combat tours, true American hero.
EPPS: Now, I'm on a new mission -- to bring down prices.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Populism and affordability. I mean, that's -- those are the issues I was referring to. You spoke to the Democrat on Inside Politics Sunday yesterday. Let's play part of that.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
BEHN: The Washington Republican agenda of delivering an economy that works for everyone has not delivered. The Republican Party needs to get serious about lowering health care costs. Grocery costs are high. Utility bills are high. Rent is high.
And there's no kind of end in sight. And so my message has been one to lower costs. And I think it's resonating across the district, which is why this race is so close.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
BASH: Manu, 22 points.
MANU RAJU, CNN CHIEF CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Yes. I mean, it has been remarkable to see Republicans scramble here. I mean, the Speaker of the House is barnstorming this district today.
BASH: And he's, by the way, I just want to add, he's there right now.
RAJU: Yes.
BASH: And the President himself called in.
RAJU: Yes. And the President's having a telerally tonight.
BASH: Tells you everything you need to know.
RAJU: It tells you everything you need to know. It shows you that there is a real fear here that they might lose or this will be very, very close and it's because of a couple of factors. One of which she obviously referred to their affordability, cost of living, obviously has driven so much concern.
[12:50:13]
And Democrats have been overperforming in special election after special election. Roughly 15 points or so, they have overperformed in special elections compared to last year in those similar seats. And so if she gets higher than that, perhaps she can pull off what would be a stunning upset.
I mean, there's still a belief that she probably will fall short.
BASH: Yes.
RAJU: And there are a lot of issues that the Republicans are seizing upon, her past comments, her progressive record. In that same interview, I asked her about all those things. She sidestepped almost all those issues for the most part, didn't really want to get pinned down, but kept turning back to the issue of affordability and grocery prices and hopes that that will ultimately win her the day.
BASH: Yes. And about $1 million, that's how much just the President's Super PAC has put into this race alone. Democrats have also been quietly spending as well.
MICHELLE PRICE, WHITE HOUSE REPORTER, AP: Yes. What's interesting, though, is we didn't see the President actually physically go there and held a rally. We didn't see him do that with the elections in November and then the two gubernatorial races. So if this is a wakeup call for Republicans or for the President heading into the midterms that it's closer than expected, you know, we already expect the President is going to be out campaigning, but maybe we'll see a more robust attempt at that.
But one of the things that we've heard about, you know, just Republican politics and Republican voters, the big tent that President Trump assembled -- because it was a big tent for Republicans last year -- they came out for him, but whether or not those same voters will come out for generic Republicans or their specific Republican is a whole different question.
BASH: Or they're angry enough at him that they will come out for the Democrat. You mentioned -- one of you mentioned the way that the special elections have gone throughout this year. Let's just look back at the year. Florida -- two elections in Florida, one in Virginia, one in Arizona. You can see the margins have diminished there from what they were in 2024 just to the special election, not even a year later throughout all of these.
And then we get to the bottom. We don't know what's going to happen in the special election in Tennessee 7 tomorrow. I'm also told -- I don't know, the Democrats could be playing the expectations game. You know, they tend to do that. Both sides tend to do that.
But I was texting with a senior Democrat who said that they expect to lose by about -- Democrats expect to lose by about three to five points, which, you know, you lose the seat, which is the thing you want, but losing by three to five points in a plus 22 Republican seat is also a psychological win. ELI STOKOLS, WHITE HOUSE & FOREIGN AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT, POLITICO: Right, and that math would add up right on the screen. You just saw shifts of 16, 17, 19 points. So if it's a 22-point district, maybe she doesn't quite get there. And I don't know if this is the reason that Donald Trump is not getting on an airplane and going there, because we haven't really seen him do any of that this year.
But his own numbers in this district, they were in the 60s last year, they're in the 40s now. And so if there's about a 20-point drop in his own approval, I mean, yes, his voters may still come out for him. But a lot of those voters that carried him to victory in 2024, the sort of more independent, less, you know, base voters, they're not that pleased with where things are going.
That's why you hear the Republican candidate Van Epps centering costs, cost of living as his main message. They're on their heels. Republicans are on their heels about that. The President's own brand is down because he hasn't delivered on the economic promises.
And he's governed differently, I think, than some of his base --
BASH: Yes.
STOKOLS: -- expected on a number of other things.
BASH: We're going to -- speaking of that, we're going to sneak in a quick break.
Coming up, why did President Trump free an investment manager who was convicted of defrauding thousands of average Americans? We have details on that next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[12:58:10]
BASH: The story you may have missed this holiday weekend, President Trump quietly set free a private equity executive who was convicted in $1 billion fraud scheme. David Gentile served just a few days of his seven-year sentence before Trump commuted that sentence last week. Now prosecutors told the judge, "The victims were hardworking, everyday people. These are not wealthy people. Many of the investors have families to support. Some are single parents. Others are parents to disabled children."
My panel is back now. I mean, this is a guy who was convicted of helping run a $1.6 billion scheme, kind of Madoff-esque, and he just was days into that. And the President said, no. And I think what's noteworthy here, and we're going to -- as we continue this conversation, this is fairly striking, but he has pardoned so -- or given clemency to so many people without a lot of fanfare or focus.
PRICE: Right. And this doing it over a holiday weekend, the President didn't announce it. That's not how this came out. And it's been a lot of white collar crimes that the President has been focusing on. And that seems to send a message sometimes that this is not a crime that is taken deeply seriously because this individual only barely started serving the sentence.
It wasn't as if he was, you know, years into this seven-year sentence. So it's coming at a time when there's, you know, questions about the pardons in general. There were the January 6th pardons. But it's not a thing that the President seemed to want to talk about. He didn't bring it up.
RAJU: I mean, typically, there's a review process in an administration. It goes through a rigorous review. They look at it. The Justice Department gives its recommendations. The President makes a decision. That doesn't happen here.
People just go lobby Trump directly. And then he gives these pardons. And when he's asked about it, he deflects or says people asked him for it. And sometimes he doesn't know, like it came from the Chinese crypto billionaire who had ties to his family's business.
He said, I don't know. He didn't really know at first because of the way this is being delivered.
STOKOLS: It's -- you know, I think to your point about this being underplayed or under, you know, it's hard to focus on all these things at once.
BASH: Yes.
STOKOLS: But we are seeing this pattern of leniency toward either people that the President knows or crimes that the President thinks the prosecution would. He just tends to think that white collar crimes are not really crimes or that these people are, you know, the sentences are too much.
So we are seeing this pattern of the President sort of politicizing the Justice Department and really overusing the pardon power compared to his predecessors at this point in his term.
BASH: All right. Thank you all. Appreciate it.
Thank you for watching Inside Politics. CNN News Central starts right now.
