Trump administration pushes law enforcement rationale for Maduro capture
the Trump administration defended the overnight Delta Force operation that captured Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife as a law-enforcement action aimed at arresting indicted fugitives,saying it required secrecy and could not be pre-notified to Congress. at a Mar-a-Lago press briefing, President Trump, Sen. Marco Rubio, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth framed the mission as DOJ-led with military support and described it as a “trigger-based” operation. Critics from both parties questioned the legality and lack of congressional oversight; Rep. Thomas Massie highlighted Maduro’s 2020 U.S. indictment on drug- and weapons-related charges while arguing the administration’s broader statements about running Venezuela and exploiting its oil conflict with the law-enforcement rationale. Democrats and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani called the raid an act of war that violates federal and international law and warned it harms Venezuelan communities. the administration’s contrasting treatment of other leaders, such as Trump’s pardon of former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, was also raised during the press conference.
Trump administration pushes law enforcement rationale for Maduro capture
The Trump administration is defending the capture of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores as a law enforcement operation as the mission comes under congressional scrutiny.
At a Saturday press conference at President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, the president, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth repeatedly said the overnight deployment of Delta Force troops to Caracas was aimed at arresting Maduro. Some Democratic and Republican lawmakers have criticized the administration for executing the raid without congressional approval.
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“This was not the kind of mission that you can do congressional notification on,” Rubio told reporters on Saturday. “It was a trigger-based mission in which conditions had to be met night after night. We watched and monitored that for a number of days.”
The secretary added: “It’s largely a law enforcement function. Remember, at the end of day, at its core, this was an arrest of two indicted fugitives of American justice, and the Department of War supported the Department of Justice in that job. Now there are broader policy implications here, but it’s just not the kind of mission that you can pre-notify because it endangers the mission.”
To that end, the likes of Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) have raised questions regarding Maduro’s 2020 indictment for charges laid in New York City related to narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machineguns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machineguns and destructive devices against the U.S.
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“[AttorneyGeneral[AttorneyGeneralPam Bondi]and others legally characterize attack in Venezuela as ‘arrest with military support,’” Massie wrote on social media. “Meanwhile Trump announces he’s taken over the country and will run it until he finds someone suitable to replace him. Added bonus: says American oil companies will get to exploit the oil. Trump also announced he’s ready to attack Venezuela militarily with a second wave if needed. Doesn’t seem the least bit consistent with the earlier characterization.”
Democrats have also complained about the lack of congressional oversight with respect to Trump’s Venezuela policy, starting from when he and his administration began bombing boats allegedly carrying drugs off Venezuela’s coast.
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“I was briefed this morning on the U.S. military capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, as well as their planned imprisonment in federal custody here in New York City,” New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani wrote on social media. “Unilaterally attacking a sovereign nation is an act of war and a violation of federal and international law. This blatant pursuit of regime change doesn’t just affect those abroad, it directly impacts New Yorkers, including tens of thousands of Venezuelans who call this city home.”
During the press conference, Trump was asked about the difference between former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, whom he pardoned despite a 45-year sentence for drug trafficking, and Maduro.
“That the man that I pardoned was, if you could equate it to us, he was treated like the Biden administration treated a man named Trump. That didn’t work out too well for them,” he said. “This was a man who was persecuted very unfairly. He was the head of the country. He was persecuted very unfairly.”
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