Trump Capture of Maduro Backed by GOP, Scorned by Democrats (1)

Republican lawmakers are largely standing by the Trump administration’s strikes on Venezuela and seizure of President Nicolás Maduro, calling the move legally justified.

“This action likely falls within the president’s inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect U.S. personnel from an actual or imminent attack,” Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, wrote on X. He said Secretary of State Marco Rubio told him no further US action in Venezuela was anticipated.

The stunning escalation in US hostilities with Venezuela divided lawmakers along familiar lines, with Democrats calling the strikes and Maduro’s capture unjustified and illegal.

“Secretaries Rubio and Hegseth looked every Senator in the eye a few weeks ago and said this wasn’t about regime change,” Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) wrote on X. “I didn’t trust them and we see now that they blatantly lied to Congress.”

Sen. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) called the war illegal. “There is no reason for us to be at war with Venezuela,” he wrote. Renegade Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) was a lonely GOP voice in also questioning the constitutionality of the action.

President Donald Trump, and presidents before him, have pushed the bounds of US military action without congressional authorization and GOP lawmakers Saturday morning showed little sign that they would move to re-exert their power to decide when the US declares war.

The Senate left town for the holidays with a resolution pending to limit the administration’s power to take military action in Venezuela without congressional authorization. One of its backers, Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.), said the resolution would come up for a vote next week. It’s also backed by Republican Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), but no other GOP senators announced fresh support for it Saturday morning.

Instead, some lawmakers called for fresh oversight. “I look forward to receiving further briefings from the administration on this operation as part of its comprehensive counternarcotics strategy when the Senate returns to Washington next week,” Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) said.

House Intelligence ranking member Jim Himes (D-Conn.) said the administration “must immediately brief Congress on its plan to ensure stability in the region and its legal justification for this decision.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson said in a statement that “the Trump Administration is working to schedule briefings for Members as Congress returns to Washington next week.”

A former top GOP foreign affairs aide said a key question will be whether there is a plan for supporting the transfer of power in Venezuela while avoiding further military intervention, as Rubio promised.

Meanwhile, Republicans viewed this as a boost heading into the midterms. “Democrats spent years protecting a dictator while Americans paid the price. President Trump ended the excuses and put a narcoterrorist where he belongs. Voters see the difference between weak appeasement and strong leadership,” NRCC Spokesman Mike Marinella said in a statement.