US EditionMarco Rubio Says "the President Always Retains Optionality" to Occupy Venezuela
Marco Rubio described the Maduro capture as a brief law-enforcement operation not needing congressional approval, emphasizing ongoing U.S. oil quarantines and naval actions to curb regime revenue.
- On Sunday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio defended U.S. airstrikes and the capture of Nicolás Maduro as a short, precision law-enforcement raid dependent on triggers and weather.
- Amid a White House blockade announced last month, U.S. naval forces have seized multiple vessels and struck more than 30 boats using an oil 'quarantine' that allows seizure with court orders, Rubio said.
- Journalists at The New York Times and The Washington Post held off publishing details shortly to protect U.S. troops, and Rubio thanked media outlets for preserving operational security amid leak risks.
- Facing legal critique, Rubio said congressional approval was unnecessary because the strike was not an extended military operation and was not an invasion, while members of Congress and legal experts called the operation illegal.
- Rubio stressed that the ongoing oil 'quarantine' gives leverage, and White House chief of staff Susie Wiles told Vanity Fair that an attack on Venezuela's mainland would require congressional approval, while President Donald Trump signaled possible further actions including boots on the ground.
41 Articles
41 Articles
Republicans in 'knots' as Maduro’s capture could be 'secret' action: analysis
An analyst on Tuesday questioned the mixed messaging among Republicans over President Donald Trump's attack on Venezuela and ousting of Nicolás Maduro. The Trump administration has called the invasion of Venezuela and capture of Maduro a "law enforcement operation carried out with the support of the...
Rubio Says U.S. Actions in Venezuela Are Law-Enforcement Measures, Not War
In a January 4, 2026, interview on NBC’s, Meet the Press, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio dismissed claims that the United States is at war with Venezuela following the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, instead describing the operation as a law-enforcement action tied to drug trafficking and sanctions enforcement. “There’s not a war against Venezuela,” Rubio said, adding that the United States is engaged in a fight against transna…
Ignore everything Trump says about Venezuela
The United States just waged a very quick regime-change war without congressional authorization after consulting the oil companies on the operation. We will run the country for the time being, and getting those oil companies in to pump the oil was the central objective of the attack. That’s what you would believe if you listened to President Donald Trump describe our military operation in Venezuela. None of that makes sense. A regime-change war …
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