Some Democrats offered praise for the Trump administration’s capture of Nicolás Maduro, but also criticized the lack of forewarning or notification before the raid Saturday. As Rep. Darren Soto noted via X, “Trump’s failure to seek Congressional approval for these strikes raises serious questions about the legality of the mission.”
Soto wrote in full, “Capturing the murderous Dictator Maduro is a major step towards a #VenezuelaLibre. Now there must be concerted efforts to ensure the democratically elected Edmundo Gonzalez is seated as the rightful new president.”
“Trump’s failure to seek Congressional approval for these strikes raises serious questions about the legality of the mission,” he continued. “The Administration made multiple false promises that it would not invade Venezuela without Congressional consent.”
“Congress must now conduct extensive hearings on the attack and all efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela,” Soto concluded.
Rep. Jared Moskowitz echoed Soto’s sentiments. “For years, Maduro has brutally oppressed the people of Venezuela, committed human rights violations, imprisoned political opponents, and stolen elections. His actions have caused millions of Venezuelans to flee and have left millions more to suffer hunger, violence, and a lack of basic goods. No one should miss him,” he wrote on X.
“However, any actions we take to end the illegitimate rule of Maduro must be in line with our Constitution. After being told by the administration that the correct congressional leaders would be briefed, there is no evidence that this took place.”
Moskowitz continued, “I thank the men and women of our military for their courage and professionalism, and I urge that the next steps be guided by de-escalation, protection of innocent lives, regional stability, and respect for constitutional and international norms.”
Some lawmakers spoke out against the entire scope of the capture.
“President Trump’s unilateral military action to attack another country and seize Maduro — no matter how terrible a dictator he is — is unconstitutional and threatens to drag the U.S. into further conflicts in the region,” wrote Senator Elizabeth Warren. “What does it mean that the U.S. will ‘run’ Venezuela, and what will Trump do next around the world? The American people voted for lower costs, not for Trump’s dangerous military adventurism overseas that won’t make the American people safer.”
Maryland’s Sen. Chris Van Hollen shared a statement on X and described the mission as little more than “an illegal act of war to replace Maduro and grab Venezuela’s oil for his billionaire buddies.”
“Don’t be fooled: you can’t both claim this was simply the execution of an arrest warrant AND say the U.S. is now ‘running’ Venezuela & grabbing its oil resources,” Van Hollen also wrote. “Trump just admitted this was a clear regime-change play to enrich U.S. oil companies & his billionaire buddies.”
