WASHINGTON (TNND) — House and Senate lawmakers will receive a classified briefing on Wednesday about the Trump administration’s surprise raid and capture of deposed Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Sources told multiple outlets that Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Dan Caine will be part of the closed-door meeting.
Lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have been questioning the legality of the military operation and the subsequent leadership of Venezuela, which Trump now says the U.S. will be involved in, and whether one country can militarily determine another’s political future.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-NY, wants to force a vote on the “bipartisan War Powers Resolution to stop any further military action in Venezuela without Congressional approval.”
“The American people did not sign up for another round of endless wars,” Schumer wrote on X.
Sen. Rand Paul, R-KY, is expected to join in the vote and said on Tuesday night that he has “no love for Maduro, but the Constitution is clear: Congress decides when America goes to war.”
However, Republicans have largely supported President Donald Trump, arguing the operation was legal and justified.
Paul told reporters on Monday that his colleague, South Carolina GOP Senator Lindsey Graham, has great power over Trump on Venezuelan issues.
“It disappoints me, but he’s under the thrall of Lindsey Graham,” he said.
Graham told reporters on Air Force One after the operation that “Every other administration talked tough on Venezuela, but President Trump is the only one who delivered.”
Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-SD, praised Trump after Maduro’s capture, saying his “decisive action to disrupt the unacceptable status quo and apprehend Maduro, through the execution of a valid Department of Justice warrant, is an important first step to bring him to justice for the drug crimes for which he has been indicted in the United States.”
President Trump posted a photo of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro following his capture. (Truth Social)
Administration officials also fielded a range of questions on Monday from the so-called “gang of eight” leaders, which includes Intelligence committee leadership as well as the chairmen and ranking lawmakers on the national security committees.
Asked afterward if he had any more clarity about who is actually running Venezuela, Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Intelligence Committee, said, “I wish I could tell you yes, but I can’t.”
Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were captured on Saturday by U.S. military forces and charged with drug trafficking.
During an arraignment hearing in New York on Monday, Maduro and his wife pleaded not guilty to charges including narco-terrorism conspiracy and cocaine importation conspiracy.
“I’m innocent. I am not guilty. I am a decent man, the president of my country,” Maduro told 92-year-old federal Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein through a translator, according to the New York Times.
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Editor’s note: The Associated Press contributed to this article.
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