The invasion of Venezuela is primarily a pretext for US oil companies to seize control of the country's oil assets.

“We're going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country.”

US military strikes against Venezuelan drug boats are primarily a pretext to secure access to the country's massive oil reserves.

“They do have drug boats, but really what I think this is about is I think it's about Venezuelan oil. Mhm. Trying to provoke Maduro and trying to provoke the regime. Oh, I don't even think it's about provoke. I think it's about we have the power to go over there and take over their whole country”