Democrat Lawmakers: Trump 'Overstepped' Authority with Venezuela Raid to Arrest Nicolás Maduro

Congressional Democrats predictably blasted President Donald Trump for ordering strikes on military targets in Caracas and the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores.

Rather than praising the capture of Maduro — who is under a criminal narcotics indictment in the U.S. — some Democratic lawmakers are alleging the president overstepped his authority by not seeking congressional authorization of the use of the military beforehand.

The Trump administration says that would have blown the secrecy needed to conduct the raid.

“This strike doesn’t represent strength. It’s not sound foreign policy,” said Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) wrote in a post on X. “It puts Americans at risk in Venezuela and the region, and it 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-FL), 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.”

He added, “Congress must now conduct extensive hearings on the attack and all efforts to restore democracy in Venezuela.”

Rep. Seth Moulton (D-MA) also raised the congressional approval issue.

“Congress did not authorize this war,” Moulton wrote on X. “Venezuela posed no imminent threat to the United States. This is reckless, elective regime change risking American lives (Iraq 2.0) with no plan for the day after. Wars cost more than trophies.”

Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT), often cited as an expert on the U.S. Constitution, disagreed. He pointed out in a post on X that Maduro was arrested by U.S. personnel to stand trial on criminal charges and troops were deployed “to protect and defend those executing the arrest warrant.”

“The action likely falls within the president’s inherent authority under Article II of the Constitution to protect U.S. personnel from an actual or imminent attack.”

In a Mar-a-Lago news conference Saturday, both President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio pointed out that the planning and execution of the raid had to be kept secret so as not to alert Venezuelan authorities.

“Congress has the tendency to leak,” the President told reporters.

Contributor Lowell Cauffiel is the author of the New York Times best seller House of Secrets and nine other crime novels and nonfiction titles. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.