President Trump is being blasted by congressional Democrats for ordering strikes on military targets in Caracas, as part of an overnight operation that resulted in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Why it matters: The lawmakers say the president blatantly overstepped his authority by not seeking congressional authorization for the operation beforehand.
- Sen. Tim Kaine (D-Va.) said in a statement Saturday morning that he'd force a vote next week on his bipartisan resolution stipulating that the U.S. "should not be at war with Venezuela absent a clear congressional authorization."
- "It is long past time for Congress to reassert its critical constitutional role in matters of war, peace, diplomacy and trade," said Kaine, whose previous attempts to limit military action have been unsuccessful.
- Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) called the operation "reckless" and said the administration "must brief Congress immediately on its objectives, and its plan to prevent a humanitarian and geopolitical disaster."
Driving the news: The strikes were reportedly carried out against Venezuelan anti-air and other military targets in order to protect U.S. personnel carrying out Maduro's capture.
- Secretary of State Marco Rubio said administration officials called members of Congress immediately afterwards but that this was "simply not the kind of mission" where "you could pre-notify" because it would have endangered the operation's success.
- Trump said there were concerns about leaks from Capitol Hill, telling reporters at a Saturday press conference: "We don't want leakers."
What they're saying: "This strike doesn't represent strength. It's not sound foreign policy," said Sen. Andy Kim (D-N.J.) in a post on X, who pointed to polling that shows broad voter disapproval towards armed conflict in Venezuela.
- The operation, Kim said, "sends a horrible and disturbing signal to other powerful leaders across the globe that targeting a head of state is an acceptable policy for the U.S. government."
- Rep. Darren Soto (D-Fla.), while praising Maduro's capture as a "major step" towards a free Venezuela, added on X that "Trump's failure to seek Congressional approval for these strikes raises serious questions about the legality of the mission."
- "Congress did not authorize this war. Venezuela posed no imminent threat to the United States," said Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.).
Between the lines: Soto, Kim, Schumer and other Democrats noted that top Trump officials previously testified to Congress that the U.S. was not seeking to oust Maduro, and would seek congressional authorization for any ground operations in Venezuela.
- "Congress must now conduct extensive hearings on the attack and all efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela," said Soto.
- Schumer said: "The administration has assured me three separate times that it was not pursuing regime change or taking military action in Venezuela. Clearly, they are not being straight with Americans."
The other side: Top Republican lawmakers praised and defended the move, with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) calling the operation "decisive and justified."
- Johnson and Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) each said they were working with the administration to schedule briefings for members. The House Armed Services Committee will receive a full committee briefing next week, a GOP committee source told Axios.
- Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) said Trump "likely" acted under his authority in Article II of the U.S. Constitution to defend American troops overseas.
- Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), a member of GOP leadership, said in a post on X that Maduro was an "illegitimate dictator" who "ran a vast drug-trafficking operation" and would now "face justice for his crimes against our citizens."
The intrigue: Two Republicans were critical of the operation: Reps. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.) and Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).
- "If this action were constitutionally sound, the attorney general wouldn't be tweeting that they've arrested the president of a sovereign country and his wife for possessing guns in violation of a 1934 U.S. firearm law," Massie wrote on X.
- "Americans disgust with our own government's never ending military aggression and support of foreign wars is justified because we are forced to pay for, it," said Greene, who has accused the administration of prioritizing foreign interventions over domestic concerns, adding,"This is what many in MAGA thought they voted to end."
- Massie, Greene and Rep. Don Bacon (Neb.) were the only three Republicans to support Democratic-led resolutions in the House that sought to curtail the administration's strikes on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean.
The bottom line: Trump, in an interview Saturday with Fox News, dismissed his congressional critics as "weak and stupid people."
Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional reporting.
— Axios' Hans Nichols and Stef Kight contributed reporting.
