Ted Cruz: “Venezuela stepped in as essentially Daddy Warbucks and began…”

“For the first number of decades, they existed because the Soviet Union supported them financially. And then America, we won the Cold War and defeated the Soviet Union. Soviet Union collapsed and Venezuela stepped in as essentially Daddy Warbucks and began providing them money. And the corrupt trade that has been happening for years is that Cuba provides thugs, they provide military and soldiers who oppress the Venezuelan people.” (04:07–04:13)

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.