Senators from Virginia and Maryland were among the chorus of Democrats condemning the military action on Saturday.
WASHINGTON — Members of Congress were divided mostly along party lines as President Donald Trump and his administration announced strikes against Venezuela and the capture of the South American country’s president, Nicolas Maduro.
Senators from Virginia and Maryland were among the chorus of Democrats condemning the military action on Saturday.
Sen. Mark Warner (D-Va.) called Maduro “a corrupt authoritarian,” but said that the Trump administration’s actions “ignore the Constitution and set a dangerous precedent.
“If the United States asserts the right to use military force to invade and capture foreign leaders it accuses of criminal conduct, what prevents China from claiming the same authority over Taiwan’s leadership?” Warner asked. “What stops Vladimir Putin from asserting similar justification to abduct Ukraine’s president?”
Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) called the attacks an “act of war” and a “grave abuse of power.”
“Maduro is a dictator, but his regime did not pose the immediate threat necessary to warrant U.S. military action on foreign soil,” Van Hollen wrote.
In contrast, Republicans in Maryland and Virginia were enthusiastic about Trump’s military actions. Andy Harris, the only Republican in Maryland’s congressional delegation, claimed “thousands of innocent American lives will be saved by President Trump’s decision to seize and arrest Maduro.”
Rep. Ben Cline (R-Va.) said Trump “acted boldly to confront narcoterrorism in Venezuela.”
The rest of the country’s elected leaders held a similar divide on Saturday, with Democrats roundly condemning the strikes against Venezuela, calling the attack “illegal,” while Republicans largely celebrated the incursion, accusing Maduro of narcoterrorism.
There were, however, some outliers in Congress.
Rep. Thomas Massie (R-Ky.), questioned Trump’s actions and objectives in South America, pointing out inconsistencies in the criminal indictment against Maduro.
“25-page indictment but no mention of fentanyl or stolen oil. Search it for yourself,” Massie wrote.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), once one of Trump’s fiercest allies, used a face-palm emoji to criticize the president’s actions in Venezuela, writing sarcastically “America First!.” The Georgia Republican is set to leave office on Monday.
On the Democratic side of the aisle, Sen. John Fetterman (D-Pa.) bucked most of his colleagues’ stances on Venezuela by celebrating the strikes.
“Grateful for our U.S. military personnel that handled these orders in Venezuela with precision,” Fetterman wrote on X. “I maintain that we have the strongest and most lethal military in the world — today proves that even more.”