Schumer Slams Trump’s Capture of Maduro as ‘Reckless’

With the Senate set to consider a bipartisan war powers resolution next week, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer sharply criticized the Trump administration’s military actions in Venezuela, accusing the White House of acting without authorization and misleading both lawmakers and the public.

Schumer argued that the administration’s moves contradict repeated assurances he says were delivered in private briefings over recent months. “The administration has assured me three separate times that it was not pursuing regime change or taking military action in Venezuela. Clearly, they are not being straight with Americans,” he said.

The New York Democrat also took aim at President Trump’s comments earlier in the day suggesting the United States would “run” Venezuela until a “safe” transition could be arranged. Reacting to that idea, Schumer warned, “The idea that Trump plans to now run Venezuela should strike fear in the hearts of all Americans. The American people have seen this before and paid the devastating price.”

In an initial statement responding to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Schumer acknowledged Maduro’s lack of legitimacy but condemned the manner in which the operation was carried out. “Let me be clear: Nicolás Maduro is an illegitimate dictator,” he said. “But launching military action without congressional authorization and without a credible plan for what comes next is reckless.”

The criticism comes as the Senate prepares to vote on a privileged war powers resolution that would seek to halt U.S. military activity in Venezuela, including the overnight bombing of Caracas. Because of its procedural status, the measure cannot be blocked from reaching the floor and would require only a simple majority to pass.

The resolution is sponsored by Sens. Tim Kaine, Rand Paul, and Adam Schiff. Kaine framed the effort as a necessary constitutional check on executive power. “It is long past time for Congress to reassert its critical constitutional role in matters of war, peace, diplomacy and trade,” he said in a statement. “My bipartisan resolution stipulating that we should not be at war with Venezuela absent a clear congressional authorization will come up for a vote next week.”

Kaine added a broader warning about democratic norms, saying, “We’ve entered the 250th year of American democracy and cannot allow it to devolve into the tyranny that our founders fought to escape.”

Beyond questions of war powers, Schumer portrayed the administration’s actions as a political diversion from domestic problems. “To distract from skyrocketing costs Americans face and the historic cover up of the Epstein files, Donald Trump is attempting to the throw Americans into more international chaos and uncertainty,” he said.

Taken together, the remarks underscore growing resistance on Capitol Hill to the administration’s Venezuela strategy, setting the stage for a high-stakes Senate vote that could redefine Congress’s role in the unfolding crisis.

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{Matzav.com}