We will state unequivocally that Trump is the most pro-active president in our lifetime.
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) January 3, 2026
As if there is any doubt, this is a true and correct image of a TruthSocial post. Here’s a cut and paste of the original TruthSocial post’s text:
The United States of America has successfully carried out a large scale strike against Venezuela and its leader, President Nicolas Maduro, who has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country. This operation was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement. Details to follow. There will be a News Conference today at 11 A.M., at Mar-a-Lago. Thank you for your attention to this matter! President DONALD J. TRUMP
Naturally, we covered the breaking news of the strikes on Venezuela early this morning, but this is new since that story broke.
We expect there to be tons of coverage about this all day, but interestingly, Jonathan Turley has already jumped in with extensive coverage:
Notably, the capture of Nicolas Maduro is coming not long after the 37th anniversary of the capture of Manuel Antonio Noriega on December 20, 1989. Noriega was convicted of drug and money laundering offenses and sentenced to 40 years in prison...
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) January 3, 2026
Turley then deleted a subsequent post, but he continues this thread, here:
... The question is whether Maduro will be handed over to the Justice Department for criminal charges or held in some other status, such as a type of enemy combatant. It would be wisest to proceed under the Noriega model and treat the case as a criminal matter...
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) January 3, 2026
... The processing of Maduro as a criminal defendant, however, will bring him before a federal district court. The Trump Administration has faced challenges from district court judges, particularly before Chief Judge James E. “Jeb” Boasberg in Washington D.C...
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) January 3, 2026
Recommended
Yes, that is one fly in the ointment: As we speak we are dealing with a full-on judicial insurrection.
...The capture could make these generals more inclined to reach a deal on restoring democratic rule in the country to avoid the same fate. However, if Maduro is prosecuted, it would seem likely that they would be named as co-conspirators...
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) January 3, 2026
...It is presumed that he would go to New York unless the Administration is going to seek a change in venue or a superseding indictment in a place like Florida. He was indicted in a four-count superseding indictment unsealed today in the Southern District of New York (SDNY) with…
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) January 3, 2026
The cut off text:
He was indicted in a four-count superseding indictment unsealed today in the Southern District of New York (SDNY) with Diosdado Cabello Rondón, 56, head of Venezuela’s National Constituent Assembly; Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios aka “El Pollo,” 59, former director of military intelligence; Clíver Antonio Alcalá Cordones, 58, former General in the Venezuelan armed forces; Luciano Marín Arango aka “Ivan Marquez,” 64, a member of the FARC’s Secretariat, which is the FARC’s highest leadership body; and Seuxis Paucis Hernández Solarte aka “Jesús Santrich,” 53, a member of the FARC’s Central High Command, which is the FARC’s second-highest leadership body. The case is pending before U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein.
...Cuba is likely to be the most active in calling for international action. Maduro had relied on Cuban security, which may have been involved in the brief fire fight to capture Maduro and his wife. However, it is likely that the U.S. scooped up any documents in the area of the…
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) January 3, 2026
The cut off text:
However, it is likely that the U.S. scooped up any documents in the area of the capture...
...Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said that there are no more immediate plans for further operations in Venezuela. That could give a window for potential co-conspirators to seek a deal to allow the opposition (and duly elected leaders in exile) to return.
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) January 3, 2026
...Here is the description after the New York indictment by the Justice Department:
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) January 3, 2026
Maduro helped manage and ultimately lead the Cartel of the Suns, a Venezuelan drug-trafficking organization comprised of high-ranking Venezuelan officials. As he gained power in Venezuela, Maduro…
The cut off text:
As he gained power in Venezuela, Maduro participated in a corrupt and violent narco-terrorism conspiracy with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), a designated Foreign Terrorist Organization. Maduro negotiated multi-ton shipments of FARC-produced cocaine; directed the Cartel of the Suns to provide military-grade weapons to the FARC; coordinated with narcotics traffickers in Honduras and other countries to facilitate large-scale drug trafficking; and solicited assistance from FARC leadership in training an unsanctioned militia group that functioned, in essence, as an armed forces unit for the Cartel of the Suns.
In March 2020, Maduro was charged in the Southern District of New York for narco-terrorism, conspiracy to import cocaine, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices.
...In his appeal, Noriega argued that his arrest was in violation of international law under head-of-state immunity. The district court rejected Noriega's head-of-state immunity claim because the United States government never recognized Noriega as Panama's legitimate rule -- an…
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) January 3, 2026
The cut off text:
The district court rejected Noriega's head-of-state immunity claim because the United States government never recognized Noriega as Panama's legitimate rule -- an argument that will be made in the Maduro prosecution. The United States for the Eleventh Circuit also rejected the immunity claim.
That would suggest a limiting principle: Only the leaders of governments that we have refused to recognize would be under threat of this happening to them. We are not sure how long that list is.
...The Noriega case supports the Trump Administration, which has had an outstanding arrest warrant for over five years. He is not viewed as the duly elected leader of Venezuela and has been tied to a criminal drug cartel.
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) January 3, 2026
And, of course, Democrats are angry:
Democratic members quickly denounced the operation as unlawful. They may want to review past cases, particularly the decision related to the Noriega prosecution. Rep. Jim McGovern (D., Mass) declared:
— Jonathan Turley (@JonathanTurley) January 3, 2026
"Without authorization from Congress, and with the vast majority of Americans…
Anger at everything Trump does is their default.
The cut off text:
"Without authorization from Congress, and with the vast majority of Americans opposed to military action, Trump just launched an unjustified, illegal strike on Venezuela. He says we don’t have enough money for healthcare for Americans—but somehow we have unlimited funds for war??"
Trump does not need congressional approval for this type of operation. Presidents, including Democratic presidents, have launched lethal attacks regularly against individuals. President Barack Obama killed an American citizen under this "kill list" policy. If Obama can vaporize an American citizen without even a criminal charge, Trump can capture a foreign citizen with a pending criminal indictment without prior congressional approval.
Indeed, Congressional Democrats were reportedly not even informed:
Senate Armed Services Committee was not notified ahead of U.S. military strikes against Venezuela — CNN
— NewsWire (@NewsWire_US) January 3, 2026
We suspect that they were not informed because the administration was afraid of a leak. But it deflates their sense of self-importance to be left out of the loop, which adds to their anger.
Additionally, Secretary of State Marco Rubio weighed in:
— Marco Rubio (@marcorubio) January 3, 2026
In any case, Venezuela’s government has been decapitated, and one might wonder if the head will be replaced by that of another dictator. Even if another dictator takes over, we tend to think that the next guy will be reluctant to cross Trump after this—as will many other world leaders.
We are sure the implications of this will be the topic of discussion all day, so stay tuned to Twitchy.
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