Overview
- Semafor, citing two people familiar with the communications, reports both outlets were briefed shortly before the operation and delayed publication for several hours.
- The pre-dawn raid approved by President Trump at 10:46 p.m. Friday led to Nicolás Maduro’s capture and transfer to New York to face SDNY indictments on narco-terrorism and related charges.
- Officials emphasized there were no U.S. fatalities, while a Times journalist cited a senior Venezuelan official’s preliminary estimate of at least 40 military and civilian deaths.
- The source of the leak to legacy outlets has not been publicly identified, and any delay in reporting was voluntary under longstanding U.S. national-security practices.
- Trump said the U.S. would “run” Venezuela for now and “get the oil flowing,” as legal, congressional, and diplomatic challenges continue to unfold.