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At least one House Democrat is praising President Donald Trump’s capture of Nicolás Maduro after the U.S. conducted surprise strikes in Venezuela overnight Saturday night.
“The capture of the brutal, illegitimate ruler of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, who oppressed Venezuela’s people is welcome news for my friends and neighbors who fled his violent, lawless, and disastrous rule. However, cutting off the head of a snake is fruitless if it just regrows,” Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Fla., wrote on X.
“Venezuelans deserve the promise of democracy and the rule of law, not a state of endless violence and spiraling disorder. My hope is it offers a passage to true democracy and liberation. This action offers beleaguered Venezuelans a chance to seat their true, democratically elected president, Edmundo González.”
She criticized the GOP administration for apparently failing to notify Congress beforehand, however.
“I’ll demand answers as to why Congress and the American people were bypassed in this effort. The absence of congressional involvement prior to this action risks the continuation of the illegitimate Venezuelan regime. Congress must be properly informed and hold hearings on this invasion. As always, I will work to bring about the promise of a liberated Venezuela,” she wrote.
Wasserman Schultz’s home state of Florida is notably home to a significant number of Venezuelan refugees, as well as refugees from other communist Latin American dictatorships like Cuba.
Her response to the U.S. operation is far different from the majority of her colleagues on the left, however.
Congressional Democrats are largely accusing Trump of green-lighting illegal actions in Venezuela after the U.S. carried out multiple strikes and captured Maduro and his wife.
While some responses were more muted than others, the majority of Democratic lawmakers argued that the Trump administration undermined U.S. law with the operation.
“The Trump administration launched a large-scale military attack on a sovereign nation and kidnapped its sitting president, without congressional approval and without consideration of any of the consequences their illegal actions may bring,” Rep. Yvette Clarke, D-N.Y., wrote on X. “This act of aggression is unconstitutional, un-American, and a direct threat to our democracy.”
Sen. Ruben Gallego, D-Ariz., who served with the U.S. Marine Corps during the Iraq War, echoed a similar line.
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“There is no justification for the United States to be at war with Venezuela. I lived through the consequences of an illegal war sold to the American people with lies. We swore we would never repeat those mistakes. Yet here we are again,” Gallego said in his own statement.
Rep. Eugene Vindman, D-Va., another military veteran, accused Trump of running afoul of the Constitution.
“Let there be no mistake, President Trump has started a war in Venezuela, without any congressional approval, and in violation of the Constitution. Over the past 2 decades, we have learned the hard way that wars are easy to start and hard to finish,” Vindman wrote on X.
“A plan rarely survives first contact. Having served in Iraq, I’ve seen this firsthand. Trump is wrong to start a war in Venezuela. It is not what the American people want, it is not putting America first, and it is not worth American blood and treasure.”
Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., was more blunt in his assessment.
“When I talk to Californians, you know what ranks lowest on their priorities? Illegally going to war with Venezuela. Just lower the damn prices,” Swalwell wrote on X.
Rep. Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., wrote, “Trump’s illegal and unprovoked bombing of Venezuela and kidnapping of its president are grave violations of international law and the U.S. Constitution. These are the actions of a rogue state.”
Other Democrats were more muted in their criticism, instead focusing on calling for more information from the White House.
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“While I strongly oppose the illegitimate regime of Nicolás Maduro, President Trump’s military action was a serious constitutional violation,” said Rep. Adriano Espaillat, D-N.Y. “The Trump administration does not have sole authority to commit such acts, and I reaffirm my position that Congress must be fully informed before the U.S. engages in hostilities towards another nation. I urge for an immediate and full briefing for Members of Congress following ongoing developments in Venezuela and the subsequent long-term consequences in the region.”
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It comes after Trump announced on Truth Social that the U.S. had “successfully carried out a large-scale strike against Venezuela” and its leader.
He said Maduro and his wife were captured and flown out of the country.
Attorney General Pam Bondi subsequently said both were indicted in the Southern District of New York, one of the largest federal prosecutorial offices in the U.S.
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