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NYT and Washington Post Delayed Reporting After Pre-Raid Briefing on U.S. Operation in Venezuela

Semafor says the papers held back at the administration’s urging to avoid risking U.S. troops as the raid captured Nicolás Maduro, triggering New York indictments.

Overview

  • Semafor, citing two people familiar with contacts between officials and the outlets, reports the Times and Post were briefed shortly before the raid and chose not to publish immediately.
  • Editors delayed after warnings that disclosure could endanger U.S. personnel, a voluntary practice consistent with past national-security reporting restraint.
  • The Caracas operation resulted in Nicolás Maduro’s capture and transfer to New York to face charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine-importation conspiracy, and weapons offenses.
  • Trump approved the mission at 10:46 p.m. Friday, and senior officials later praised the secrecy and reported no U.S. fatalities.
  • A New York Times journalist cited a senior Venezuelan official reporting at least 40 military and civilian deaths as a preliminary figure that remains unverified.