Senior members of Congress emerged sharply divided from a classified briefing on the U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, highlighting growing tensions over President Donald Trump‘s authority to use force without congressional approval.
Republicans who attended the briefing largely defended the administration, while Democrats said the presentation raised unanswered questions about the scope, legality and potential expansion of U.S. military action. The lawmakers briefed belong to the so-called “Gang of Eight,” a small group authorized to receive the most sensitive intelligence.
The classified briefing followed a weekend operation in which U.S. forces captured Maduro in Caracas and transported him to the United States to face criminal charges. Since then, Trump has said the U.S. would “run” Venezuela, issued threats toward Colombia and Cuba, and renewed interest in acquiring Greenland.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., rejected claims that Trump exceeded his authority, calling the raid “a decisive and justified action.” “We are not at war, we do not have U.S. armed forces in Venezuela and we are not occupying that country,” Johnson said, adding that while Congress has the power to declare war, the Constitution grants the president broad authority as commander in chief.
Democratic leaders offered a contrasting assessment. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said the administration’s explanation was insufficient.
“The plan for the U.S. running Venezuela is vague, based on wishful thinking and unsatisfying. I did not receive any assurances that we would not try to do the same thing in other countries”
Senate Democrats are expected to force a vote this week on a war powers resolution introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va., which would require Trump to halt military action in Venezuela absent congressional approval. Similar measures failed in both chambers late last year.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y., said before the briefing that “no further military action should be taken in Venezuela or anywhere else without explicit congressional approval.”
The briefing was led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Attorney General Pam Bondi and CIA Director John Ratcliffe. However, leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee were not invited, prompting criticism from Chair Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and ranking member Dick Durbin, D-Ill., who said their committee has jurisdiction over law enforcement matters.
Reaction across Congress over the weekend underscored the divide even further. Several Democrats, including Sens. Mark Kelly of Arizona and Ruben Gallego of Arizona, warned that the operation risked repeating past U.S. interventions without a clear plan. By contrast, Republican lawmakers from Florida praised the strike, with Sen. Rick Scott calling it “a new day” for Venezuela and the region.
Originally published on Latin Times
