Trump’s Pick for US Southern Command Questioned on Venezuela

US Marine Corps Lieutenant General Francis Donovan during a Senate Armed Services Committee confirmation hearing in Washington on Jan. 15.Photographer: Aaron Schwartz/Bloomberg

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By Courtney McBride and Roxana Tiron

January 15, 2026 at 4:32 PM UTC

Updated on

January 15, 2026 at 5:52 PM UTC

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Senate Democrats pushed President Donald Trump’s pick to lead US Southern Command to explain the administration’s strategy in the wake of Nicolas Maduro’s ouster, warning that troops massed in the region risk being dragged into another “forever war.”