President Trump announced that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro had been captured following a U.S. military operation in Caracas, an action that has touched off a dispute in Congress over whether the president exceeded his constitutional authority. According to CBS News, Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured and flown to the United States, landing in New York before being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn.
CBS News reported that the U.S. Army’s Delta Force carried out the operation to capture Maduro, and that the raid followed months of American military buildup in the region, including the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier and a series of strikes on more than 30 boats the administration said were carrying drugs. The Cuban government said that 32 Cubans, including military or intelligence personnel, were killed during the operation. Trump acknowledged the deaths, telling reporters aboard Air Force One, “A lot of Cubans were killed yesterday.”
Charges in New York
Maduro and Flores face federal charges related to drug trafficking and to working with gangs designated as terrorist organizations, allegations Maduro has denied. At his first court appearance, Maduro pleaded not guilty and, according to CNBC, told the court he had been “kidnapped” and described himself as a “prisoner of war.”
In Venezuela, the country’s military recognized Vice President Delcy Rodriguez as acting leader, endorsing a Supreme Court ruling that appointed her interim president for 90 days. Rodriguez said in a statement that Venezuela seeks “peace and peaceful coexistence” and invited the U.S. government to work on “a cooperation agenda.”
Oil and the question of what comes next
Trump said the United States would “run” Venezuela temporarily during a transition and would “get the oil flowing,” and he later said the U.S. was “in charge” of the country. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the administration does not plan to directly govern Venezuela but will continue to enforce what he called an “oil quarantine,” telling CBS that the measure “allows us to exert tremendous leverage over what happens next.”
Trump told reporters he had spoken with several U.S. oil companies about commitments to rebuilding Venezuela’s infrastructure, saying they “wanna go in so bad.” At a subsequent White House meeting, CNBC reported, the president said oil companies would spend $100 billion in Venezuela with U.S. protection. Venezuela holds among the largest proven oil reserves in the world, and companies including Chevron and Exxon Mobil have prior histories operating there.
A war powers fight in the Senate
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the administration lacked the authority for the operation. “You don’t treat lawlessness with other lawlessness, and that’s what’s happened here,” Schumer said on ABC’s “This Week,” according to CBS News. According to Fox News, Schumer said the operation “did not just do ships off the water,” adding that forces “went inside Venezuela” and struck both civilian and military sites without congressional authorization.
Rep. Jim Himes, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said the operation was “clearly illegal under international law” and, according to CBS News, argued that consulting Congress “has not happened here at all.” Administration officials, including Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Attorney General Pam Bondi, provided a classified briefing to select members of Congress.
Democrats moved a war powers resolution, first filed in December by Sens. Tim Kaine, Rand Paul, Schumer and Adam Schiff, that would block the use of U.S. armed forces against Venezuela unless authorized by Congress. The measure initially advanced with support from Republicans Susan Collins, Lisa Murkowski and Paul. According to ABC News, Vice President JD Vance then cast a tiebreaking vote to break a 50-50 deadlock and effectively kill the resolution, after Republican Sens. Josh Hawley and Todd Young flipped their earlier positions.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Jim Risch said before the vote that “currently there are no U.S. forces engaged in hostilities in Venezuela.” After the vote, Schumer said Senate Republicans “abdicated their responsibility” in killing the resolution and said, according to ABC News, that the failed measure amounted to “a road map to another endless war because this Senate, under Republican leadership, failed to assert its legitimate and needed authority.” Kaine, who sponsored the resolution, said afterward that it was “disappointing that my colleagues let the president sort of beat them into submission,” adding that the vote blocked a public debate over the administration’s actions.
Get NationofChange in your inbox
Independent reporting every weekday. No paywall, no advertisers, no corporate owner. Free, and you can unsubscribe whenever you like.
Subscribe free
COMMENTS