With an eye to 2028, the vice president finds himself trying to balance his past calls for military restraint with a defense of President Donald Trump's raid in Venezuela.
Ex-law enforcement officials said the administration's declarations that the killing was justified elicited questions about the F.B.I.'s willingness to scrutinize the agent who fatally shot an unarmed activist.
The president has said he will be "hitting them very hard" if Iranian leaders kill protesters amid widespread demonstrations calling for wholesale changes in the country.
