Congress returns from its holiday recess this week, and President Donald Trump’s use of military force to extricate Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is sure to take center stage in Washington.
Democrats criticized the U.S. military action that took place overnight Jan. 2, warning of broader consequences in the region and beyond.
“Let me be clear: Nicolás Maduro is an illegitimate dictator. But launching military action without congressional authorization and without a credible plan for what comes next is reckless,” Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., said in a statement.
“The administration has assured me three separate times that it was not pursuing regime change or taking military action in Venezuela,” Schumer said. “Clearly, they are not being straight with Americans.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Sunday that there was no need to get the legislative branch on board for the operation, in which U.S. forces captured Maduro in Venezuela and flew him to New York to be indicted. Read more