Republican Senator Mike Lee said he spoke with Secretary of State Marco Rubio and he anticipated no further actions in Venezuela following the operation that led to the capture of authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores.
Just got off the phone with @SecRubio
— Mike Lee (@BasedMikeLee) January 3, 2026
He informed me that Nicolás Maduro has been arrested by U.S. personnel to stand trial on criminal charges in the United States, and that the kinetic action we saw tonight was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant… https://t.co/lXCxhPoKSZ
In a social media publication, Lee went on to say that, according to Rubio, Maduro is set to "stand trial on criminal charges in the United States, and that the kinetic action we saw tonight was deployed to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant."
"This action likely falls within the president's inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect U.S. personnel from an actual or imminent attack," Lee added. He then noted that Rubio "anticipates no further action in Venezuela now that Maduro is in U.S. custody."
Attorney General Pam Bondi also said in a post of her own that Maduro and Flores would "soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts."
"I would like to thank President Trump for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American People, and a huge thank you to our brave military who conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers," she added.
The attack has been condemned by Russia and Iran, two allies of Maduro. Moscow called the development an "act of armed aggression against Venezuela."
"This is deeply concerning and condemnable," Moscow added in a statement on Saturday. "The pretexts used to justify such actions are unfounded."
Russia also called for the prevention of "further escalation" and backed calls for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council.
Iran also condemned the development, saying it was a "flagrant violation of the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of" the South American country.
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