Trump Aims to ‘Run’ Venezuela After Kidnapping Maduro Jan. 3

WASHINGTON, DC — A year into a term marked by rising inflation, shrinking jobs, seizure of Congressional powers and Epstein file cameos, President Donald Trump has decided to also run Venezuela after kidnapping Maduro, its president.

Saturday, during a press conference at Mara Lago, Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, along with Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair General Dan Caine, announced U.S. air strikes in Venezuela overnight, followed by the Maduro kidnapping, referenced as the “capture” of Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Maduro, and his wife.  Trump said Maduro was being transported to New York City to face charges, including for narco-terrorism. Trump said the U.S. will run the country until a “safe and judicious transition” of power occurs. U.S.-based oil companies will be invited to take control of the country’s oil production and reserves.

Rubio said during the conference that the administration had not notified Congress in advance.

“This is not the kind of mission you can do Congressional notification on,” Rubio said, “At its core, this was an arrest of two indicted fugitives of American justice,” adding, “It is not the kind of mission you can pre-notify because it endangers the mission.”

Politifact reports that while the Constitution empowers Congress to declare war, that hasn’t happened since World War II. Since then, Presidents have usually followed the War Powers Resolution by seeking Congressional authorization for use of military force, which members of Congress confirmed has not happened.

‘President Bush asked for the support of Congress and the American people before launching the disastrous Iraq War. President Trump didn’t even do that before putting American troops in harm’s way to further enrich his friends,” said Congressman Seth Magaziner (RI-02) in a statement about the Venezuela attack.

U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI),  Ranking Member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said the attack has been weakly justified and poorly planned.

“Last night, President Trump waged war on a foreign nation without authorization, without notification, and without any explanation to the American people. Whatever comes next, President Trump will own the consequences.

“Initially, the White House claimed the purpose of the raid was to capture Nicolás Maduro and his wife in Caracas. Now, the President has claimed the United States will “run” Venezuela, and that the objective of this operation is to seize control of Venezuela’s oil reserves. This is ludicrous. No serious plan has been presented for how such an extraordinary undertaking would work or what it will cost the American people. History offers no shortage of warnings about the costs – human, strategic, and moral – of assuming we can govern another nation by force.

“This is not a legitimate basis for toppling a government. It violates international law and has failed catastrophically in the past.

“Nicolás Maduro is a brutal autocrat who has destroyed Venezuela’s economy, crushed democratic opposition, and presided over pervasive corruption. Nothing in his record warrants defense. But the future of Venezuela is now in great peril, and the American people may very well be asked by President Trump to sacrifice greatly to prop up this foreign nation.

Kidnapping Maduro preceded by Noriega in 1990

U.S. forces have kidnapped a Latin American head of state without Congressional approval before. In 1990, President H.W. Bush directed a military strike on Panama, kidnapping President Manuel Noriega, also wanted on trafficking charges.

An NPR interview of analysts notes that with Panama, courts backed the action, and an opposition government was ready to move in. This time, the situation is complicated by a lack of a strong alternative, and continued U.S. presence will be challenged by Venezuela’s larger and rougher terrain and a bigger population.

Reed, Magaziner: Republicans must help rein in Trump

“This has been a profound constitutional failure. Congress – not the President – has the sole power to authorize war. Pursuing regime change without the consent of the American people is a reckless overreach and an abuse of power,” said Reed.

“By normalizing violent, unilateral regime change, Trump weakens the international order we rely on to condemn Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and deter Chinese aggression against Taiwan. The question now is not whether Maduro deserved removal – it is what precedent the United States has just set, and what comes next.

“The world did not doubt the capabilities of the United States military before this operation, and they do not doubt them now. But they certainly doubt the judgment of America’s political leaders.

“Republicans in Congress have steadfastly declined to hold Trump Administration accountable for the Venezuela campaign. They must immediately step up and join Democrats in exercising their constitutional duty to provide oversight and demand answers on behalf of the American people.”

Magaziner echoed Reed’s points.

‘Maduro is a bad guy. But there are a lot of countries run by bad guys, and we learned in Iraq what can happen when an American President recklessly starts a war with no plan to secure peace. We cannot make that mistake again. I suspected that this might happen, and voted in December to block military action in Venezuela. The measure failed by just two votes. We need more Members of Congress with the guts to put a check on Donald Trump’s abuses of power,” Magaziner said.