Democrats walk Venezuela tightrope as some praise Maduro’s ouster
Democrats have reacted with a mix of sharp criticism adn cautious approval after President trump’s surprise U.S. special-forces operation that removed Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. Many condemned the raid as an illegal, unilateral use of force carried out without prior congressional notification or a clear long-term plan, while some Democratic senators acknowledged that Venezuela may be better off without Maduro’s repressive rule.Senators including Mark Warner, Jeanne Shaheen, John Fetterman, and chris Murphy praised the outcome for Venezuelans but raised major caveats about legality, precedent, and who will actually govern next-fearing Maduro’s deputy Delcy Rodríguez could perpetuate the same kleptocracy. Critics noted contradictions in the management’s rationale, pointing to earlier U.S. indictments and bounties on Maduro and to pardons for other leaders, and warned that the operation could set a troubling example other powers might exploit.Congress is moving to assert oversight: the Senate is expected to vote on a bipartisan war-powers resolution that would require presidential approval for further military action in Venezuela, even as the House’s changed rules limit similar measures ther.
Democrats walk Venezuela tightrope as some praise Maduro’s ouster
Among the blistering condemnations from Democrats for President Donald Trump’s ouster of Nicolás Maduro is a quieter concession from critics that Venezuela is better off without the former dictator in power.
Despite staunch conviction against the surprise U.S. military operation Democrats liken to an illegal act of war without a long-term strategy, some see a silver lining that draws contrast to the party’s base that has presented an otherwise unified front against America seizing the leader of a foreign country.
“Maduro was a repressive leader, a bad guy,” said Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee. “Candidly, we should’ve done much more — taken much greater action — back in 2024 under President Biden, when the Venezuelan people spoke overwhelmingly and voted against Maduro, and could have used that moment to really bring pressure to bear.”
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), the top Democrat on the chamber’s Foreign Relations Committee, described “removing” Maduro as a “positive event, especially for the millions of Venezuelans who have suffered under his repression,” even as she feared the regime may continue under U.S.-backed interim President Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s former deputy.
“I don’t know why we can’t just acknowledge it’s been a good thing, what’s happened,” Sen. John Fetterman (D-PA) said in a Fox News appearance, referring to criticism from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and past rhetoric from former President Joe Biden. “We all wanted this man gone, and now he is gone. I think we should really appreciate exactly what happened here.”
Fetterman noted there was a $25 million bounty for Maduro under Biden from a 2020 U.S. indictment against Maduro for narcoterrorism, which was increased to $50 million under Trump.
“We all, Democrats, years ago, wanted to eliminate him. Why have a bounty of $25 million if we didn’t want him gone?” Fetterman said. “Why would you do these things if you weren’t willing to actually do something, other than harsh language?”
The capture of Maduro, conducted by U.S. special forces in a monthslong coordinated attack that was unbeknownst to members of Congress beforehand, presents Democrats with their latest political quandary under Trump’s raucous first year back in the White House.
Praising Maduro’s removal, something the administration denies is America’s latest regime change, could be seen as endorsing Trump’s actions that have drawn international scorn and raised fears that further military intervention is on the table against Venezuela allies like Cuba and Colombia. Democrats also warn that Trump is emboldened to take potential military action against NATO ally Greenland to fulfill his longtime desire to acquire the Danish territory for its mineral resources and defense capabilities in the Arctic region.
But a blanket rejection could portray Democrats as resisting Trump because he is Trump, whom the party has vowed to obstruct with its limited levers of power, and sympathizing with a murderous dictator whom they considered an illegitimate president. Meanwhile, Venezuelan Americans celebrate in U.S. streets.
Trump and top administration officials insist the U.S. will now be in charge of Venezuela indefinitely, raising a myriad of questions about the country’s future reminiscent of America’s involvement in years-long Middle East conflicts after regime changes. Maduro was sworn in last year to a third six-year term despite the international community, including the U.S., concluding he’d lost to opposition leader María Corina Machado.
“In the world that I envisioned, Maduro would be gone because he lost an election and power was transferred to a popular, democratically elected government,” Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) said. “Maduro is gone, and his second in command is in charge, overseeing the same kleptocracy and the same assault on free speech.”
Top Democrats left a classified briefing on Venezuela this week wary of further Trump upheaval abroad, with Schumer saying there lacked “any assurances that we would not try to do the same thing in other countries.” Other members of Congress not involved will receive a classified briefing on Wednesday.
The measured responses from Democrats willing to praise Maduro’s ouster come with major caveats, including its legality, Trump’s intentions with other nations, and other foreign affairs ramifications.
Warner said the administration’s moral claims of protecting American lives from Maduro’s international drug trafficking operations were undercut by Trump’s pardon of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández for similar charges. The administration justified Maduro’s capture by citing his indictment for narcoterrorism, a rationale Warner suggested hostile nations like Russia and China could use to pluck the leaders of Ukraine and Taiwan.
“Now that he’s out, he should be put on trial,” Warner said. “But his bad actions don’t justify this kind of action without taking it to the American public, without taking it to the Congress, without trying to build some kind of international support.”
MADURO CAPTURE LEAVES MANY ‘NEXT-DAY’ QUESTIONS UNANSWERED BY TRUMP ADMINISTRATION
The Senate is expected to vote Thursday on a bipartisan war powers resolution that, if passed by Congress, would require Trump to obtain congressional approval for additional military action against Venezuela. The measure will require only a simple majority, and it remains to be seen if the necessary four Republicans will flip to help Democrats secure what would amount to a symbolic victory.
The House would not be required to vote on the privileged measure after Republicans altered its chamber rules last year.
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