Karoline Leavitt Touts American Control Over Venezuela With Wry Smile: ‘We Have Maximum Leverage’

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt could not resist flashing a sardonic grin while asserting that President Donald Trump and the United States hold “maximum leverage” over Venezuela following the capture of dictator Nicolás Maduro.

Leavitt held a press briefing for the first time on Wednesday since Maduro and his wife were captured in their sleep and flown to New York to face narco-terrorism charges. Trump told reporters soon after that the U.S. would “run” Venezuela for the time being.

ABC reporter Rachel Scott asked Leavitt on Wednesday if Trump or Maduro’s vice president Delcy Rodriguez, who is now serving as the country’s interim president, was the new leader of Venezuela

“The president has been adamant that he is now in charge of Venezuela. But Delcy Rodriguez said the government of Venezuela runs her country, no one else, saying quote, ‘There is no external agent governing Venezuela,'” Scott said. “So which one is it?

Leavitt started off by saying “there is not another president in the world in our nation’s history who had the courage to authorize such a mission.” She also gave kudos to the military for pulling the operation off. She then said Rodriguez was the one in charge in Venezuela — with the U.S. closely monitoring her moves.

“I think the world has taken notice that America is truly back. With respect to Venezuela, the Trump administration — led by Secretary [Marco] Rubio, the vice president and the president’s entire national security team —is in close correspondence with the interim authorities in Venezuela,” Leavitt said. “We obviously have maximum leverage over the interim authorities in Venezuela right now.”

Leavitt smirked and nodded at Scott as she delivered that final line.

Leavitt argued Trump was “fully deploying his peace-through-strength foreign policy agenda” by booting Maduro. Leavitt said that move will make America safer because it cuts off a major supplier of illegal drugs being pumped into the U.S.

Leavitt added a moment later Venezuela’s interim government would have its decisions “dictated” by America.

Watch above via Fox News.