CBS News reported that there is no consensus among US lawmakers on the operation carried out by the US military on January 3 to arrest Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
What do Republican Party representatives think about the campaign to arrest the Venezuelan President?
According to CBS News, the Trump administration's decision was publicly supported mainly by representatives of the Republican Party. In particular, approval comments came from House Speaker Mike Johnson, US Vice President JD Vance, Congressman Rick Crawford, Senators Tom Cotton, Mike Lee and John Thune.
At the same time, as the channel notes, even within the Republican party there are other views. So, Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene, a member of the Homeland Security Committee, who represents the interests of the people of Georgia and is expected to leave the legislature on January 5 after a quarrel with Trump, criticized the operation in Caracas.
“If US military action and regime change in Venezuela are truly aimed at saving Americans from deadly drugs, then why hasn't the Trump administration taken action against Mexican cartels?” she wrote on social network X (formerly Twitter, blocked in the Russian Federation). “And if prosecuting narco-terrorists is a top priority, why did President Trump pardon former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who was convicted and sentenced to 45 years in prison for smuggling hundreds of tons of cocaine into the United States? Ironically, cocaine is the drug that Venezuela primarily imports into the United States.” “The obvious conclusion is that removing Maduro is a clear step towards establishing control over Venezuela's oil supply, which will ensure stability in the event of the next apparent regime change war in Iran,” the politician added.
What did the Democrats say?
In contrast, the Democrats, according to CBS News, unanimously criticized the White House. Therefore, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries noted that the US “needs more than just military force” to ensure security and stability in the region.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said that “launching military action without congressional authorization and without a credible plan for how to proceed is reckless” and called on the Trump administration to “immediately brief Congress on its goals and plans to avert a humanitarian and geopolitical disaster.” House Armed Services Committee member Adam Smith pointed out to CBS News that there is no evidence that intervening in Venezuela “makes the United States safer.” Similar statements were also made by Congressman Jim Himes and Senators Tim Kaine and Andy Kim.
Former New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani made a statement that “a unilateral attack on a sovereign nation is an act of war and a violation of federal and international law.”
