As we told you earlier today, President Trump announced that U.S. forces had gone into Venezuela and taken Nicolas Maduro and his wife in custody. The two are now reportedly in New York to be indicted.
Trump had this to say about the operation:
— Pete Hegseth (@PeteHegseth) January 3, 2026
Attorney General Pam Bondi listed the charges against Maduro:
Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York. Nicolas Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess…
— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) January 3, 2026
Here's the full post from @AGBondi:
Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, have been indicted in the Southern District of New York. Nicolas Maduro has been charged with Narco-Terrorism Conspiracy, Cocaine Importation Conspiracy, Possession of Machineguns and Destructive Devices, and Conspiracy to Possess Machineguns and Destructive Devices against the United States. They will soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts. On behalf of the entire U.S. DOJ, I would like to thank President Trump for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American People, and a huge thank you to our brave military who conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers.
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Meanwhile, as you probably would have guessed, Democrats are beside themselves, and are basically saying that U.S. servicemembers followed "illegal orders" (what ever happened to that rhetoric, anyway?):
The White House is confirming U.S. military operations in Venezuela tonight. Let us be clear: these strikes are illegal. The President does not have the authority to declare war or undertake large-scale military operations without Congress. Congress must act to rein him in.… pic.twitter.com/KsbxS6TbSp
— Rep. Melanie Stansbury (@Rep_Stansbury) January 3, 2026
Without authorization from Congress, and with the vast majority of Americans opposed to military action, Trump just launched an unjustified, illegal strike on Venezuela.
— Rep. Jim McGovern (@RepMcGovern) January 3, 2026
He says we don’t have enough money for healthcare for Americans—but somehow we have unlimited funds for war??
Secretaries Rubio and Hegseth looked every Senator in the eye a few weeks ago and said this wasn’t about regime change. I didn’t trust them then and we see now that they blatantly lied to Congress. Trump rejected our Constitutionally required approval process for armed conflict… https://t.co/wdXm21gHnA
— Senator Andy Kim (@SenatorAndyKim) January 3, 2026
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries is big mad that he and other congressional leaders weren't informed in advance:
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries did not get a heads up that President Donald Trump's administration was planning to strike Venezuela and capture President Nicholas Maduro, per sources.
— Jake Sherman (@JakeSherman) January 3, 2026
HASC was not briefed either.
This has been pretty standard for the Trump…
Well, perhaps Trump and Hegseth didn't want the Democrats leaking it and giving Maduro a heads-up.
Vice President JD Vance added this:
And PSA for everyone saying this was "illegal":
— JD Vance (@JDVance) January 3, 2026
Maduro has multiple indictments in the United States for narcoterrorism. You don't get to avoid justice for drug trafficking in the United States because you live in a palace in Caracas.
Constitutional law professor Jonathan Turley agreed:
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…
Here's the full buzzkill for the Democrats:
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:
"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.
Sorry, Dems.
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