Overview
- U.S. special operations seized Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a pre-dawn strike in Caracas and transferred them to New York to face Southern District of New York narco-terrorism charges.
- In a Meet the Press interview, Marjorie Taylor Greene said a drug-focused mission would target Mexican cartels and argued the operation serves big corporations and oil executives rather than the American people.
- President Trump defended the action by saying the U.S. would temporarily run Venezuela and protect its oil resources, with American energy companies rebuilding infrastructure and being reimbursed.
- Republican reaction has diverged, with allies such as Vice President JD Vance praising the mission and figures like Rep. Thomas Massie questioning its rationale, while Democrats label the strike illegal without congressional authorization and press for War Powers oversight.
- Greene’s remarks come as she exits Congress on Jan. 5 after a public split with Trump, highlighting an internal GOP fight over non-interventionist promises and the scope of U.S. objectives in Venezuela.