CINCINNATI (WXIX) -Several politicians from the Tri-State responded Saturday to President Trump’s attack on Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro.
Vice President JD Vance, an Ohio-native, defended the attack in a post on X, saying, “Maduro is the newest person to find out that President Trump means what he says.”
Ohio Senator Jon Husted called Maduro an “illegitimate dictator” and said the “operation was justified.”
“Nicolás Maduro is an illegitimate dictator. He has been indicted on charges of drug trafficking and narco-terrorism and will face trial for these crimes in a U.S. court of law,” Husted said. “Under Hugo Chávez—and now under Maduro—Venezuela has effectively become a criminal enterprise. The United States faced a choice: stand by while this unfolded in our own hemisphere, as American citizens became victims of that enterprise, or take action to end it and give the Venezuelan people a genuine opportunity to choose new leadership and a new direction.”
Husted praised the execution of the operation and stated that he would continue to monitor the situation.
“All available information indicates this was a well-executed operation, thanks to the administration and our courageous U.S. military and law enforcement personnel,” he said. “I will continue to monitor these actions in keeping with my congressional oversight responsibilities. I look forward to hearing more from President Trump today.”
Senator Bernie Moreno said Trump’s action would have a lasting impact on the region and criticized the previous administration’s inaction.
“President Trump today changed the course of Latin America for a generation. By acting in America’s self-defense and self-interest to end the narco terror organization run by Nicolas Maduro, he eliminated an obvious, clear, and present danger to our nation,” Moreno said. “Unlike the inept and incompetent Biden administration, who should have acted when Maduro illegally retained power in 2023, President Trump has shown the world that he will defend and protect American lives.”
Moreno said Maduro’s regime posed direct threats to American security and lives.
“Maduro and his band of narco terrorists were directly responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Americans, threatened our national security, and unleashed a an historic invasion of our Country by criminals,” he said. “Venezuela served as an air, land, and maritime corridor for transporting deadly poison to the US with the goal of killing American citizens. Maduro protected Colombia’s narco-terrorists.”
“This is more chaos from this guy, and it’s likely unlawful,” Landsman said. “The Administration has to brief Congress on what the threats were that could justify military action and putting Americans in harm’s way – and what the plan is to ensure that we’re all not dealing with even more chaos in the wake of his war with Venezuela,” Landsman said.
Representative Thomas Massie raised questions about the constitutional basis for the action.
“If this action were constitutionally sound, the Attorney General wouldn’t be tweeting that they’ve arrested the President of a sovereign country and his wife for possessing guns in violation of a 1934 U.S. firearm law,” Massie said.
U.S. forces captured Maduro and removed him from Venezuela during a nighttime military operation that included strikes on the capital city of Caracas, according to The Associated Press. Multiple explosions were reported in the Venezuelan capital early Saturday. Attorney General Pam Bondi said Maduro and his wife would face charges in New York.
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