Johnson tells ‘UpFront’ Venezuela needs ‘real election’

GOP U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson says Venezuela needs a “real election” after “the election was stolen by (Nicolas) Maduro” as the U.S. Senate prepares to vote on whether to rein in President Donald Trump’s military powers.

“You can tell that President Trump does not want to put troops on the ground to nation-build,” Johnson said on WISN 12’s “UpFront,” which is produced in partnership with WisPolitics-State Affairs. “He’s going to use the oil as leverage to make sure that the transition administration does right by the Venezuelan people. So we’ll buy that oil, put that money into an escrow account to pay the civil servants so they can keep the Venezuelan society as we transition to a real election.”

Johnson was not one of the five Republicans who joined Democrats to advance the war powers vote.

“This is not an unprecedented action by a United States president,” Johnson said. “Both Democrat and Republican presidents have taken similar types of actions. Our Constitution gives the president a great deal of authority. I support that authority and the impressive success of the finest among us, members of our military, in getting into Venezuela, extracting Maduro and his wife, bringing them to justice, I think is something we should celebrate.”

Johnson also dismissed the possibility that Trump would use military force to acquire Greenland.

“That’s not going to happen,” Johnson said. “I think you know previous administrations have literally tried to buy Greenland. This isn’t something new. American presidents, administrations have recognized strategic importance. We have a treaty in place with Denmark, a NATO ally, but I think it’s perfectly appropriate for the press to be pointing out the strategic importance.”

Meanwhile, Dem U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin criticized Trump’s moves ahead of the expected vote this week in the Senate.

“The president clearly has the power to use military force when we are in imminent danger and our national security is on the line,” Baldwin told “UpFront.” “But the president has made it very clear after storming into Venezuela that his objective was about oil, that he wanted to secure Venezuelan oil resources for his big oil buddies.

“Look, there is a justice system for dealing with these issues,” added Baldwin, who voted to advance the war powers vote. “What if China did this with Taiwan? What if India did this with Nepal? This is not the precedent for global peace we need. The president came into office saying, ‘I am going to end conflicts on day one,’ and instead we see him creating a new one.”

When asked whether she would back the U.S. attempting to buy Greenland as opposed to military force, Baldwin said, “Look, we need to talk to our neighbors. We need to talk to our allies. It may be a nonstarter, and then we’ll find out, but my goodness, this is such a distraction for this president.”

Outgoing Milwaukee Bucks President Peter Feigin says he’s received several calls urging him to run for governor after the team announced he was leaving after 12 seasons.

“Right here at this moment, I am declaring no,” Feigin told “UpFront,” laughing. “The fastest ‘no’ you could have gotten.”

Incoming President Josh Glessing added, “Peter and I have had a number of meetings this week with a number of people, and several of them ask that question.”

“And the answer is right away that I could be a good middle-of-the-line person to get things done,” Feigin said. “And I’ve had my exposure to politics, and I love the state of Wisconsin so much, but I think people should do background on me and understand I’d be counterintuitive to the political environment.”

Feigin is credited with helping build Fiserv Forum, building the Deer District, bringing the Bucks a national championship and securing two major political conventions.

“I think there’s a transformational part of kind of taking the team and kind of getting to really not treating this like a small market,” Feigin said. “This is the gold standard of the way you run a professional team. I think personally and professionally to be engaged in the growth, the championship, the Deer District. We had this opportunity to build the city within a city. That never happened before, and I think we were able to effect change in a lot of different ways.”

Glessing, a Wisconsin native, previously served as the chief of strategy and development for Haslam Sports Group. Jimmy and Dee Haslam are 25% minority owners of the Bucks.

“Peter’s one of one,” Glessing said. “My job is to not step into Peter’s shoes and replace Peter. My job is to continue the work that he has done over the last 12 years, and when these things are done right, and we hope this is an example of that, you have these great transitions. So is there pressure? I think I’ll always put pressure on myself. Is there pressure from Peter and the ownership group? The only pressure is to ensure that the organization has what it needs to continue to compete in the way that we have competed. So, sure, there’s pressure.”

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