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Democratic US lawmakers say they were misled on Venezuela, demand a plan

Democrats accuse Trump officials of denying regime change plans while conducting a military operation that removed Venezuela's Maduro, demanding congressional authorization for further actions.

  • On Saturday, U.S. forces carried out an overnight operation that removed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, and Democratic members of the U.S. Congress said officials misled them about regime change.
  • In November and December briefings, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth told lawmakers there were no plans for a land invasion or regime change amid a military buildup in the Caribbean and Pacific targeting alleged drug-running boats.
  • Top Democrats issued statements saying Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer declared, 'They assured me that they were not pursuing those things', while Senator Jeanne Shaheen said the administration gave contradictory explanations.
  • The Senate is set to vote next week on a war-powers resolution that would block further military action in Venezuela without congressional authorization, while congressional leaders hope to arrange briefings on January 5 and consider Defense appropriations by the end of January.
  • The lack of an exit strategy raises concerns about regional stability as President Donald Trump said the U.S. would oversee Venezuela for now and Rep. Adam Smith of Washington criticized the absence of a post-Maduro plan.
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El PeriódicoEl Periódico
+3 Reposted by 3 other sources
Center

The president and his cabinet have justified not seeking authorization from Congress or reporting on the grounds that it is not an invasion, and despite Democratic complaints and claims and a handful of Republicans, it is not expected that the houses will be able to stop him.

·Barcelona, Spain
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Center

Members of the U.S. Congress have said on Saturday that President Donald Trump's senior officials have misled him during recent briefings on Venezuela's plans and that he would have said that he did not intend to...

·Romania
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Frankfurter Allgemeine broke the news in Frankfurt, Germany on Saturday, January 3, 2026.
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