Congresswoman Maxine Waters Blasts Trump Administration’s Unauthorized Military Strike and Seizure of Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s former President
Washington, D.C. — Today, Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Financial Services Committee and Co-Chair of the Congressional Caribbean Caucus, issued the following statement in response to the Trump Administration’s unauthorized military strike in Venezuela, carried out without congressional approval, which reportedly resulted in the seizure of Nicolás Maduro, Venezuela’s former President, and his wife, Cilia Flores. According to reports, both were taken into U.S. custody and transported to the United States to face criminal charges, raising serious concerns about the Administration’s adherence to the Constitution and the grave national security consequences of initiating military action against a sovereign nation without authorization from Congress.
“While Maduro has inflicted real harm on the people of Venezuela, including collaborating with drug traffickers and terrorists, no president—especially Donald Trump—has the authority to bypass Congress to launch military strikes against a sovereign nation, while brazenly admitting that controlling Venezuela's oil is part of his motivation. We have been down this road before, and it led to a disastrous, decades-long war in Iraq driven by oil and lies, and I will not stand idly by as this president attempts to drag our nation into another endless conflict.
“Just last month, Congress repealed two separate authorizations of military force in Iraq, but Donald Trump once again chose to unilaterally attack, and ignore Congress’ Constitutional role. It is Congress that authorizes such force, and Trump’s abuse of power demands a serious and immediate response from Congressional members of both parties. Donald Trump has now gone so far as to publicly boast about his detention of Nicolás Maduro and his wife and to suggest that he can unilaterally determine who governs Venezuela or even claim authority to run the country himself. That is not strength. It is reckless, delusional, and extremely dangerous.”
“During Donald Trump’s first term, I called for his impeachment under then Speaker Nancy Pelosi. He was impeached twice, yet escaped accountability due to a lack of Republican support. Today, many Democrats have understandably questioned whether impeachment is possible again under the current political reality. I am reconsidering that view. Even if Republicans refuse to act, Democrats cannot remain silent or passive in the face of actions this extreme from this Administration.”
“What we are witnessing is an unprecedented escalation of an unlawful invasion, the detention of foreign leaders, and a president openly asserting power far beyond what the Constitution allows. Democrats must take a firm stand against this abuse of authority. We cannot normalize it. We cannot excuse it. And we cannot allow any president to place himself above the Constitution, Congress, or the rule of law.”