Overview
- President Trump said U.S. forces seized Nicolás Maduro and his wife and flew them out of Venezuela to face SDNY indictments on narco-terrorism and related charges announced by Attorney General Pam Bondi.
- Trump later said a few U.S. personnel were injured with no deaths reported, while casualty figures in Venezuela and the scope of any follow-on actions remain unclear.
- At a press event, Trump said the U.S. is "going to run" Venezuela until a safe transition occurs and invoked the Monroe Doctrine, leaving open questions about who now controls the country’s institutions.
- Democrats condemned the strike as unauthorized and illegal and demanded immediate briefings, with Sen. Tim Kaine pledging a war-powers vote next week and intelligence leaders warning about dangerous precedent.
- Many Republicans praised the move as a law-enforcement action, with leaders saying the capture executed a valid DOJ warrant and that Maduro will face justice in U.S. courts; Sen. Mike Lee cited Article II after speaking with Secretary of State Marco Rubio.