{"id":2556694,"date":"2026-01-29T07:29:01","date_gmt":"2026-01-29T12:29:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rubio-defends-maduro-raid-in-fiery-exchange-with-rand-paul-we-did-not-remove-an-elected-official-43\/"},"modified":"2026-01-29T07:31:23","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T12:31:23","slug":"rubio-defends-maduro-raid-in-fiery-exchange-with-rand-paul-we-did-not-remove-an-elected-official-43","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rubio-defends-maduro-raid-in-fiery-exchange-with-rand-paul-we-did-not-remove-an-elected-official-43\/","title":{"rendered":"Rubio Defends Maduro Raid in Fiery Exchange with Rand Paul: &#8216;We Did Not Remove an Elected Official&#8217;"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Frubio-defends-maduro-raid-in-fiery-exchange-with-rand-paul-we-did-not-remove-an-elected-official-43%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2556694&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Senators Marco Rubio and Rand Paul clashed in a Senate exchange over the U.S. raid that removed Venezuelan leader Nicol\u00e1s Maduro to the United States. Paul argued the operation violated constitutional and international norms\u2014equating bombing a capital, blockading a country, and ousting an official to acts of war\u2014and warned that bypassing congressional oversight sets a hazardous precedent. He acknowledged the 2024 election was widely disputed but stressed rules and checks and balances matter.<\/p>\n<p>rubio countered that the mission was a law\u2011enforcement action, not the removal of a legitimately elected head of state: he described Maduro as an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/youre-confused-rubio-slaps-down-margaret-brennans-absurd-venezuela-question\/\" title=\"&#039;You&#039;re Confused?&#039;: ... Slaps Down Margaret Brennan&#039;s &#039;Absurd&#039; Venezuela Question\">indicted drug trafficker<\/a> (and noted more than 50 countries rejected his re\u2011election) and said U.S. forces detained narcotics suspects who will face trial in the United states. In prepared testimony Rubio emphasized there were no U.S. casualties, no ongoing occupation, and that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rubio-defends-maduro-raid-in-fiery-exchange-with-rand-paul-we-did-not-remove-an-elected-official-12\/\" title=\"... Defends ... ... in Fiery Exchange with ...: &#039;We Did Not Remove an ...&#039;\">operation helped create conditions<\/a> for Venezuela\u2019s transition.<\/p>\n<p>The exchange highlighted the central dispute: whether the raid should be judged as a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >lawful criminal operation aiding justice<\/a> or as an unusual use of force with constitutional and foreign\u2011policy implications\u2014especially given that Congress was reportedly left uninformed.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Principles, policy, and politics collided in the Senate Wednesday as Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky dueled over the merits of the raid that brought Venezuelan dictator Nicol&aacute;s Maduro to America.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I think we&rsquo;re in violation of both the spirit and the law of the Constitution by bombing a capital, blockading a country, and removing elected officials. And we certainly wouldn&rsquo;t tolerate it, nor would I, if someone did it to us,&rdquo; Paul said in a video posted to X of part of the exchange between the two men.<\/p>\n<p data-renderer-start-pos=\"767\">&ldquo;We didn&rsquo;t remove an elected official,&rdquo; Rubio replied.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We removed someone who was not elected. And it was actually an indicted drug trafficker in the United States,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">&#128680; BREAKING: Sec. Marco Rubio CLAPS BACK at Rand Paul opposing the Venezuela attacks<\/p>\n<p>PAUL: We violated the Constitution, removed an elected official!<\/p>\n<p>RUBIO: We did NOT remove an elected official! We removed an unelected, indicted DRUG TRAFFICKER! &#128293;&#128293;&#128293; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Jr8QyL5d9Z\">pic.twitter.com\/Jr8QyL5d9Z<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/EricLDaugh\/status\/2016550481296839173?\">January 28, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Paul then noted that Maduro was &ldquo;indicted under our laws&rdquo; and added that the legitimacy of elections has been disputed often and elsewhere.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It probably was, and most likely was &mdash; most assuredly was &mdash; a bad election. He wasn&rsquo;t really elected. But at the same time, if that&rsquo;s our predicate, and you don&rsquo;t have to come to us because it&rsquo;s a drug bust, we&rsquo;re just removing somebody, you can see where it leads to, and it leads to chaos,&rdquo; Paul said, referring to complaints from the Senate that Congress was left in the dark when the raid took place.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;And that&rsquo;s why we have rules like the Constitution, so we don&rsquo;t get so far out there that presidents can do whatever they want. It is this check and balance,&rdquo; Paul said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We just don&rsquo;t believe that this operation comes anywhere close to the constitutional definition of war,&rdquo; Rubo said during their exchange, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/senate\/5711385-rand-paul-criticizes-rubio-venezuela\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Hill<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Paul responded, &ldquo;But would it be an act of war if someone did it to us? Nobody dies, few casualties, they&rsquo;re in and out, boom, it&rsquo;s a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/rubio-defends-maduro-raid-in-fiery-exchange-with-rand-paul-we-did-not-remove-an-elected-official\/\" title=\"... Defends ... ... in Fiery Exchange with ...: &#039;We Did Not Remove an ...&#039;\">perfect military operation<\/a>. Would that be an act of war?<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Of course it would be an act of war,&rdquo; he continued. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m probably the most anti-war person in the Senate, and I would vote to declare war if someone invaded our country and took our president.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In his <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foreign.senate.gov\/imo\/media\/doc\/cede1b59-f889-9d54-0dd6-dce43f60d9bc\/012826_Rubio_Testimony.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/covid-19-more-likely-originated-in-chinese-lab-than-nature-former-cdc-director\/\" title=\"COVID-19 More Likely Originated in Chinese Lab Than Nature: Former CDC Director\">prepared opening remarks<\/a><\/a>, Rubio noted that &ldquo;This was an operation to aid law enforcement. The United States arrested two narcotraffickers who are now going to stand trial in the United States for the crimes they committed against our people.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Maduro is an indicted drug trafficker, not a legal head of state. We should note that Western nations including the European Union, Latin American countries and the United States, in total over 50 countries, rejected Maduro&rsquo;s purported re-election following the disputed 2024 elections and do not recognize him as Venezuela&rsquo;s legitimately elected President,&rdquo; Rubio said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In defiance of Venezuelan law, Maduro refused to peacefully cede power after Venezuelans voted him out of office in the most recent election, resorting to violence to retain office,&rdquo; Rubio noted.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;President Trump&rsquo;s actions have created the conditions for Venezuelans to begin returning home and rebuilding their country. The United States is prepared to help oversee Venezuela&rsquo;s transition from a criminal state to a responsible partner,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;All of this was accomplished without the loss of a single American life, or an ongoing military occupation. History features few examples where so much was achieved at so little cost as was accomplished four weeks ago for the American people in Caracas,&rdquo; Rubio testified.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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