Matt Gaetz Joins MAGA Influencers at Pentagon Briefing, Presses Pentagon on Venezuela Role

Matt Gaetz attended a Pentagon press briefing alongside several MAGA and far-right influencers after regular reporters were removed for refusing a DoD media pledge. Gaetz asked whether the Department of Defense would have a role if Nicolás Maduro left Venezuela and whether Venezuelan officials would be deemed "narco-terrorists." The Pentagon press secretary said the department maintains contingency plans, stands ready to act at the president's direction, and emphasized ongoing SOUTHCOM operations targeting narcotics trafficking.

08:28 AM, 12/03/2025Politics

Matt Gaetz Joins MAGA Influencers at Pentagon Briefing, Presses Pentagon on Venezuela Role

Former congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) attended a Pentagon press briefing on Tuesday as a member of the press, appearing alongside a group of MAGA and far-right influencers including Laura Loomer, James O’Keefe and Jack Posobiec. Regular Pentagon reporters were removed from the briefing after they declined to sign a pledge from Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to report only on materials pre-approved by the Department of Defense.

During the session, Gaetz asked Pentagon Press Secretary Kingsley Wilson what role the Department of Defense would play if Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro were to leave power and whether current members of the Venezuelan military or government would be considered "narco-terrorists" in a post-Maduro scenario.

"Thanks for the question. So the department has a contingency plan for everything. We are a planning organization. If anything were to happen around the world, we have a response planned and ready. So we stand at the president’s beck and call, our commander in chief, to do what is needed if called upon," Wilson said, stressing the department's readiness.

"And that will be what this department continues to focus on and continues to prepare for in regards to our ongoing operations in the SOUTHCOM region. Again, our focus is taking out narco-terrorists and rooting out that threat that is poisoning the American people. Every single boat that we strike saves 25,000 American lives. That is a crucial mission to protecting the homeland, and we’re proud to be a part of it."

Gaetz followed up by invoking the post-Saddam Iraq period, asking whether the administration would broadly label former officials as terrorists. Wilson replied that such designations would be made by the president, and reiterated that intelligence had identified individuals on intercepted drug boats as "narco-terrorists."

Gaetz currently hosts a program on One America News Network and has recently drawn attention for controversial commentary. His show reportedly dismissed a staffer after that person shared an explicitly anti-Semitic video on social media.

Why this matters: The exchange underscores tensions over press access to military briefings, questions about DoD media controls, and debate over U.S. policy toward Venezuela — including how the administration might treat members of a future Venezuelan government or military. It also illustrates how political figures and partisan influencers are seeking to shape national security conversations in public forums.