Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) laid out “actions” he said “have already been taken to hold the Trump administration accountable” for Saturday’s military strike in Venezuela that led to the capture of their president, Nicolás Maduro.
“Let me be clear, Maduro is an illegitimate dictator, but launching military action without congressional authorization, without a credible plan for what comes next is reckless,” Schumer said during a press call Saturday.
Maduro was captured early Saturday morning alongside his wife, Cilia Flores. U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi called the couple “alleged international narco traffickers” and said Saturday they had been indicted on multiple charges, including narco-terrorism conspiracy.
The administration faced backlash from Democrats following the operation, with House Armed Services Committee member Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) saying Congress was lied to during briefings on Venezuela.
Schumer said during the press call that he was not notified about the military strike, and that he asked the administration in December whether it was pursuing regime change or taking military action in Venezuelan territory.
