The Trump administration on Monday briefed congressional leaders on the U.S. military operation that captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, sharpening a partisan divide over the president’s authority to use force without congressional approval.
Top Republicans who attended the classified briefing rallied to the president’s defense while Democrats questioned the scope of the operation and pushed to halt further military action.
The partisan split-screen among the lawmakers briefed, who are part of the so-called “Gang of Eight” group authorized to receive highly classified information, underscores the difficulty Congress may face in trying to rein in President Donald Trump’s military efforts.
U.S. President Donald Trump has, in recent days, said the U.S. would “run” Venezuela, threatened Colombia and Cuba and renewed his push to acquire Greenland. Those remarks followed a weekend military strike that captured Maduro from Caracas and whisked him to the U.S. to face criminal charges without prior congressional authorization.
House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., called the raid in Venezuela “a decisive and justified action,” rejecting claims that Trump exceeded his authority.
