The White House has faced questions about who knew what before the operation that removed Nicolás Maduro, and Vice President JD Vance pushed back hard on reports that he or DNI Tulsi Gabbard were shut out of planning. Vance said the operation was tightly held among senior officials, that secrecy was deliberate, and that his role now is to help steer the transition as the president directs.
At a recent White House briefing, reporters asked Vance about stories claiming key officials were excluded from meetings about removing Maduro. He rejected the notion that either he or Tulsi Gabbard were left out of planning, calling those reports false and stressing unity among senior leaders.
Vance said the operation was kept “very tight to the Senior cabinet-level officials and related officials in our government,” and that the secrecy helped the mission succeed. He emphasized pride in how the team worked together and in maintaining operational security through a long buildup.
When the topic turned to his role after Maduro’s removal, Vance made clear he will act where the president wants him to. “My role is going to be whatever the president asks me to do,” he said, noting he currently chairs the White House principals’ meeting on Venezuela to plan next steps for stability.
Vance framed the broader goal plainly: to ensure the new Venezuelan government listens to and acts in the interests of the United States. “And as the president has directed us to do, to ensure that the new Venezuelan government actually listens to the United States,” he said, adding this is about American security and influence.
He promised continued involvement for as long as the president needs him, saying, “So, I’m going to be as involved as the president wants me to be.” That level of engagement, he said, has been significant so far and will remain so while the administration directs it.
The White House excluded Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard from months of planning to oust Nicolas Maduro because her previous opposition to military action in Venezuela cast doubt on her willingness to support the operation, people familiar with the matter said.
The move to cut Gabbard out of the meetings was so well-known that some White House aides joked that the acronym of her title, DNI, stood for “Do Not Invite,” according to three of the people. They asked not to be identified discussing private conversations. A White House official denied there was any such joke.
Those assertions, reported elsewhere, suggested Gabbard’s past opposition to military options made her a liability for planners. Vance countered that narrative by pointing to the narrow circle of senior officials involved and by insisting that Gabbard was not intentionally excluded from planning discussions.
The raid that captured Maduro and his wife unfolded quickly and, according to public accounts, involved Special Operations forces executing a precise extraction. Officials have described the operation as a decisive move that removed a would-be threat and opened the door to legal proceedings and a new phase for Venezuela.
Vance used the briefing to highlight coordination and discipline, arguing those traits mattered more than the gossip about internal drama. For him, showing a unified front on national security moves is part of reassuring allies and deterring adversaries.
The vice president’s remarks also underscored the administration’s focus on results over headlines, with Vance pointing to ongoing meetings about governance and stability in Venezuela. He framed ongoing U.S. engagement as necessary to safeguard American interests and to hold the new Venezuelan leadership accountable.
Observers will be watching how the White House balances secrecy with transparency as the transition in Caracas continues, and how senior officials like Vance and Gabbard are integrated into follow-up policy. For now, Vance’s message is straightforward: the operation was tightly managed, the team delivered, and he will continue working where the president directs him to help secure U.S. objectives.
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