This story was originally published on mynorthwest.com.
Washington’s congressional delegation is sharply divided over President Donald Trump’s military operation to capture Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, with Democrats calling the action unconstitutional and demanding answers while the lone Republican to comment praised it as “bold leadership.”
Rep. Adam Smith, D-WA, the ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, said in a CNN interview Saturday that the operation raises serious concerns about what comes next.
“Maduro is gone. Who’s leading Venezuela? We don’t seem to know,” Smith told CNN. “And when President Trump says that the U.S. is going to be running Venezuela in the short term and seems to have no idea what that means or how to achieve that, that’s concerning.”
Smith questioned what U.S. interest was being advanced.
“The president has basically decided that the U.S. has the right to simply remove another country’s president by force when we feel like it,” Smith said. “That has enormous implications, certainly for the Western Hemisphere and Trump’s vision of the U.S. being able to dominate it, but also for Russia and China. What do we say to Putin if he says, ‘Well, I’m going to go in and remove Zelensky’?”
What happened in Trump’s Venezuela military operation
U.S. forces captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a predawn raid Saturday and flew them out of the country aboard the USS Iwo Jima, according to The Associated Press. They are headed to New York to face prosecution on narco-terrorism charges.
The operation took place 36 years to the day after the 1990 U.S. invasion of Panama that led to the capture of Manuel Noriega, The Associated Press reported. Trump said the U.S. turned off “almost all of the lights” in Caracas while forces moved in. The attack lasted less than 30 minutes.
Trump said the U.S. would run Venezuela “until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition” and announced plans to exploit the country’s vast oil reserves, according to The Associated Press. Congressional leaders were not notified until the operation was already underway.
Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez demanded proof of life for Maduro and his wife and called him the country’s rightful leader, The Associated Press reported. Under Venezuelan law, Rodríguez would take over from Maduro.
Sen. Patty Murray compares Trump Venezuela invasion to Iraq War
Sen. Patty Murray, D-WA, Vice Chair of the Senate Appropriations Committee, issued a lengthy statement condemning the operation.
“The American people didn’t ask to start a war with Venezuela,” Murray said. “They didn’t ask for an indefinite and costly occupation of another country, and they didn’t ask for ‘boots on the ground,’ their sons and daughters put in harm’s way. All they asked for were lower prices at the grocery store.”
Murray drew parallels to the Iraq War, which she opposed.
“I opposed the war in Iraq from the outset, and the parallels here are glaring. I will similarly oppose any war in Venezuela,” Murray said. “I refuse to put the lives of servicemembers at further risk, and I refuse to saddle our children with yet another costly war for no good reason.”
Murray also called out what she described as hypocrisy, noting that Trump recently pardoned former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was convicted on drug trafficking charges.
“We’re supposed to believe drug trafficking warrants the use of military force to topple a foreign government in one instance and then merits a full pardon for the former President of Honduras who was lawfully convicted of the same crime?” Murray said.
GOP Rep. Baumgartner praises Trump Venezuela operation: ‘A great day’
Baumgartner took issue with Murray’s criticism, calling it “nonsense” in a direct response on X.
“You said nothing about Obama’s poorly planned attack on Libya, which has created chaos,” Baumgartner wrote. “President Trump has demonstrated bold leadership in advancing U.S. security interests in our own backyard. You should sit this one out.”
“Today is a great day for the people of Venezuela and the security of America and the Western Hemisphere,” Baumgartner wrote. “Venezuelan dictator Maduro is a dangerous narco-terrorist who is now where he belongs, in a jail cell. I applaud President Trump, Secretary Rubio, and the brave men and women of our Armed Forces who have made the American people safer today.”
Baumgartner framed the operation as part of a broader foreign policy success.
“Decimating Iran’s nuclear program. Forcing Hamas to release the hostages. Removing Maduro. President Trump and his National Security team continue to run a masterclass in historic foreign policy leadership,” Baumgartner wrote.
He also argued the operation would hurt U.S. adversaries.
“Today was also a very bad day for Russia and Iran,” Baumgartner wrote. “Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world, but has been producing only a trickle due to the socialist incompetence of the Chavez/Maduro narco-terrorists. Bringing Venezuelan oil back online is positive for the global economy and is going to further increase pressure on Russia and Iran.”
Rep. Pramila Jayapal: ‘Trump promised to get the U.S. out of wars. He lied.’
Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-WA, issued a sharp rebuke in a statement and on X.
“Trump promised to get the U.S. out of wars. He lied,” Jayapal wrote on X. “He has now plunged us into conflict in Venezuela, enacting regime change with no plan for what comes next. This is all about oil, greed, and power, and will come at a great cost to the American people.”
In a separate statement, Jayapal also referenced the Honduras pardon.
“If this were truly about stopping drug trafficking, Trump would not have recently pardoned the former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez, who had been sentenced to 45 years in prison for his role in a drug trafficking scheme that smuggled 400 tons of cocaine into the U.S.,” Jayapal said.
Jayapal called on Republicans to join Democrats in asserting congressional authority.
“Congress alone has the power to authorize war. Republicans need to step up to do their Constitutional duty and join Democrats in ensuring that Congress reasserts our authority,” she said. “The implications otherwise are dire: any rogue leader of any country can decide who they want to take out at any time.”
Reps. DelBene, Schrier, Randall demand answers on Trump Venezuela invasion
Rep. Suzan DelBene, D-WA, acknowledged Maduro was “a dictator who used violence against his own people” but said Trump’s decision to invade without consulting Congress “does not make America safer.”
“The president has an obligation to be honest with our country and our service members about his true intentions in Venezuela,” DelBene said. “He has long said this was about stopping drug trafficking, but today made clear that this is really about securing the country’s oil and regime change.”
DelBene called for bipartisan accountability.
“Democrats and Republicans should stand united in demanding that the administration immediately come before all members of Congress to explain what the plan is for U.S. involvement, how much this is going to cost taxpayers, what authority he used to justify the operation, and what a successful outcome means for America and Venezuela,” she said.
Rep. Kim Schrier, D-WA, struck a similar tone on X.
“While Maduro is an illegitimate and dangerous dictator who has made life terrible for Venezuelans, President Trump should not be dragging us into another foreign conflict without consultation and consent from Congress,” Schrier wrote. “After promising no new wars, he launched a large-scale military strike in Venezuela with plans for the U.S. to take over control of the country, and put American troops in harm’s way.”
Rep. Emily Randall, D-WA, whose district includes the Bremerton naval base, issued a sharp rebuke.
“The world is watching as Trump illegally stokes the fires of war for his own personal gain,” Randall said. “Bypassing Congressional authorization, or at the very least notification, to kidnap a foreign leader and force a regime change in order to extract oil resources is unconstitutional.”
Randall invoked the military families in her district.
“The military families in Washington state do not want to be dragged into another endless war where countless American lives will be put at risk,” Randall said. “They deserve better from their President.”
Last month, Randall voted yes on two war powers resolutions to rein in Trump’s use of military force toward Venezuela. Both resolutions failed, with the majority of House Republicans voting no.
Rep. Adam Smith compares Trump Venezuela operation to Iraq, Libya
Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, gave the military credit for executing the operation but warned that tactical success does not equal strategic wisdom.
“From a technical standpoint, yeah. We’ve got a great military. They perform tasks incredibly well,” Smith told CNN. “But this is what has gotten us into trouble.”
Smith pointed to the U.S. interventions in Iraq and Libya.
“Saddam Hussein, terrible guy. Muammar Gaddafi, terrible guy. Our military did a very effective job of removing both of them from power. It didn’t end well,” Smith said. “The military is really good at doing what it is assigned to do, but it’s not in the nation-building business, as we learned.”
Smith said the operation raises troubling questions about Trump’s goals.
“What is Trump’s goal here? I think the easiest way to sum up Trump’s goal is he wants the oil. He wants U.S. oil companies to have greater control over Venezuelan oil,” Smith said. “But he hasn’t seemed to give much thought to what comes next.”
Cantwell, Newhouse, Strickland silent on Trump’s Venezuela operation
Senator Maria Cantwell, D-WA, Rep. Dan Newhouse, R-WA, and Rep. Marilyn Strickland, D-WA, had not released public statements on the Venezuela operation as of Saturday afternoon.
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