The extraordinary attack follows months of pressure from the Trump Administration on Maduro to cede power in the South American country over long-standing accusations of involvement in drug trafficking and election rigging.
It represents the largest U.S. military operation in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama, and is the second major military campaign launched by the president since returning to office a year ago.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump said Maduro and his wife had been "captured and flown out of the Country," adding that the operation "was done in conjunction with U.S. Law Enforcement."
Axios - American interventionism is back, in Trumpian technicolor, Axios' Dave Lawler reports.
- In just under a year, Trump has conducted massive strikes on Iran's nuclear program, bombed six additional countries, most recently Nigeria, appointed himself chair of a governing board for Gaza, and sent a massive flotilla to Venezuela to blow up drug boats and, it's now clear, to depose a sitting world leader.
- He's done most of that without seeking approval from Congress or trying to build any kind of international legitimacy.
Axios - President Trump is already 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 Nicholas Maduro.
The lawmakers say the president blatantly overstepped his authority by not seeking congressional authorization for the operation beforehand.
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.
Republicans have praised and defended the move, with Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) saying Trump "likely" acted under his authority in Article II of the U.S. Constitution to defend American troops overseas.
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