Wilmington, Del. – U.S. Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-Del.) today released a statement on the Trump administration’s operation in Venezuela and capturing of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.

“For months now, the Trump administration has conducted military operations in Venezuela with no warning, no legal authority, and no explanation provided to Congress. Now, we know why.

“The President has unilaterally carried out armed conflict in the Caribbean and circumvented Congressional approval, as required by the Constitution, because he knew that Congress would not support a senseless and short-sighted regime change ‘mission.’ They went so far as to lie to Congress during our recent briefings, saying that their priority was specifically not forceful regime change.

“The U.S. military is not the president’s personal army. If this continues, nothing stops him from sending American troops around the world to carry out his own reckless foreign policy decisions, which thus far have already negatively impacted our standing on the global stage and continue to erode further the separation of powers enshrined in our Constitution.

“If President Trump actually was concerned about keeping Americans safe from increased foreign drug trafficking, he wouldn’t have pardoned Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez for the same crime he captured Maduro for. His motives are clear, he’s said it himself: use U.S. military forces to seize control of Venezuela’s natural resources and distract from the crisis of affordability he is ignoring on our own soil.

“The administration must immediately brief Congress on its legal justification for this decision and its plan going forward. Congress must take action on Senator Kaine’s bipartisan war powers resolution to prevent further escalation.”

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Senator Lisa Blunt Rochester represents Delaware in the United States Senate where she serves on the Committees on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; Commerce, Science, and Transportation; Environment and Public Works; and Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions.