On Saturday, elite American military operators descended upon an
indicted narco-terrorist and extracted him from Venezuela, delivering
him to New York to face the charges. That indicted narco-terrorist just happened to be Nicol?s Maduro, the dictator who calls himself
?president.?

With Maduro gone, Democrats who once called for his ouster are suddenly
up in arms, simply because President Donald Trump is the one who made
it happen.

For those who don?t spend their Sunday mornings glued to the television
? and their Sunday afternoons attempting to dig through a week?s worth
of network and cable news media spin ? The Daily Wire has compiled a
short summary of what you may have missed.

Across the major legacy networks, Democrats complained about the fact
that the Trump administration had sent military operators in to extract
Maduro ? and media personalities quickly joined them in questioning
whether or not the Trump administration had the authority to take that
action without first getting congressional approval.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer ? who criticized Trump in 2020 for
not ending Maduro?s regime ? led the charge on ABC?s ?This Week,?
speaking with Democratic strategist-turned-ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos, Schumer conceded that Maduro was a bad actor but
claimed that the Trump administration had still been coloring outside
the lines in going to get him.

?Look, Maduro is a horrible, horrible person,? Schumer said. ?But you
don?t treat lawlessness with other lawlessness. And that?s what?s
happened here. The American people, this morning, are scratching their
heads in wonderment and in fear of what the president has proposed:
?The United States will run Venezuela.? We have learned through the
years [that] when America tries to do regime change and nation-building
in this way, the American people pay the price in both blood and
dollars.?

Stephanopoulos pointed out the fact that Secretary of State Marco Rubio
said the Trump administration had the authority to move on Maduro, and
Schumer protested: ?It?s a violation of the law to do what they did
without getting the authorization of Congress.?

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer criticizes the U.S strike
in Venezuela and capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas
Maduro: ?It?s a violation of the law to do what they did
without getting the authorization of Congress.?
https://t.co/jbZuHwZD9A pic.twitter.com/nNEQWg1d7V

? This Week (@ThisWeekABC) January 4, 2026

CBS News anchor Margaret Brennan brought in Senator Chris Van Hollen
(D-MD), who became a household name when he traveled to El Salvador to retrieve MS-13 gang member Kilmar Abrego Garcia. Van Hollen also
complained that the Trump administration had overstepped its authority
in taking action in Venezuela without asking Congress first.

He predicted that in reaction, Congress ?will have a vote on a war
powers resolution probably as early as this week, if not next.?

Sen. Chris Van Hollen says President Trump does not have the
legal authority to attack Venezuela and says he?s sure that
Congress ?will have a vote on a war powers resolution probably
as early as this week, if not next.?

?For the most part, Republicans are happy to give Donald?
pic.twitter.com/J4kq7RraNC

? Face The Nation (@FaceTheNation) January 4, 2026

On ?The Sunday Briefing,? Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA) said much the same
to Fox News host Jacqui Heinrich, after first claiming that more
traditional avenues like sanctions hadn?t worked on Maduro because
American allies hated Trump too much to join the United States in
enforcing them. Then he, too, argued that Trump should have come to
Congress for approval before sending military operators into Venezuela.

Kaine, as recently as 2024, had called Maduro an illegitimate leader
and demanded a ?peaceful transfer of power.?

WOW. Democrat Sen. Tim Kaine just got UTTERLY EMBARRASSED on
national television!

?If Dems cared SO MUCH about process, why didn?t THEY do
anything to bring Maduro to justice when THEY were in charge?
The guy?s been under indictment since 2020!?
pic.twitter.com/aoPkS0qMlC

? Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) January 4, 2026

More of the same came from Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT), who said in
2019 that Trump would move to topple Maduro because ?getting rid of
Maduro is good for the United States.?

On CNN?s ?State of the Union,? however, he said Trump?s actions had
been ?wildly illegal? and claimed that he was only moving on Venezuela
to gain control of natural resources for his own personal financial
gain.

Sen. Chris Murphy tells Dana Bash that Trump?s attack on
Venezuela ?seems to be mostly about oil and natural resources?
and is ?all about making money for his friends.?
pic.twitter.com/EvylbRzl5B

? State of the Union (@CNNSOTU) January 4, 2026

But Rubio explained in several interviews on Sunday why the Trump administration had not asked Congress for permission to act ? or even
notified Congress prior to doing so ? and why they hadn?t been bound to
do so.

?This was not an action that required congressional approval. In fact,
it couldn?t require congressional approval because this was not an
invasion. This is not an extended military operation,? he told NBC News
anchor Kristen Welker on ?Meet the Press.?

?We will seek congressional approval for actions that require
congressional approval. Otherwise, they?ll get congressional
notification.?

?This was not an action that required congressional approval?
This was not an invasion,? says @SecRubio.

?We will seek congressional approval for actions that require
congressional approval. Otherwise, they?ll get congressional
notification.? pic.twitter.com/up6ZEJtmXd

? Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) January 4, 2026

On ABC?s ?This Week,? he added, ?You can?t congressionally notify
something like this for two reasons. Number one, it will leak. It?s as
simple as that. And number two, it?s an exigent circumstance,? Rubio explained.

Sec. Rubio responds to criticism of the lack of congressional
authorization in the U.S. operation in Venezuela: ?You can?t
congressionally notify something like this for two reasons.
Number one, it will leak. It?s as simple as that. And number
two, it?s an exigent circumstance.? pic.twitter.com/qIBPiRuDYk

? This Week (@ThisWeekABC) January 4, 2026

George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley addressed
that point as well, responding specifically to the comments made by Tim
Kaine, and argued that not only was the Trump administration?s action
legal, it was no different than actions taken by previous Democratic presidents.

?Sen. Tim Kaine (D., Va) told Fox that ?the Constitution does not give
the President the right to initiate military action.? That is entirely incorrect. The Constitution does not give a president the right to
declare war. However, presidents are allowed to use military forces
without such a declaration?? Turley stated, adding, ?Democratic
presidents routinely launched attacks in other countries without any
objection from Sen. Kaine. Obama not only killed an American citizen
not charge with any crime but attacked Libya?s capital and attacked its military to cause a regime change without consulting with Congress.?

--
Democrats and the liberal media hate President Trump more than they
love this country.


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