Overview
- U.S. forces entered Venezuela, seized President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, and transported them to New York to face drug-related charges, according to multiple reports.
- The White House labeled the raid a law-enforcement or counter-narcotics action, and Trump signaled Washington would manage Venezuela’s transition, a framing critics say evades the need for congressional approval.
- Senior members of Congress said they were told only after the mission was underway, breaking with past practice and fueling a confrontation over presidential authority to use force.
- Reporting describes a large-scale operation involving roughly 150 aircraft, strikes to dismantle Venezuelan air defenses, and helicopter insertions into Caracas, with Venezuelan officials reporting casualties.
- Democrats including Ro Khanna, Seth Moulton, Jim Himes, and Raja Krishnamoorthi condemned the move as illegal and ill-planned, while Republicans largely held back as figures such as Mike Lee cited Article II authority after consultations with Marco Rubio.