I wanted to reach out to share my thoughts on the situation unfolding in Venezuela. Information is still coming to light, but we know, at a minimum, that the actions taken by the Trump administration to capture and remove Maduro were illegal.

But that’s not a new story. President Trump has always thought he is above the law. He steals from taxpayers. He thumbs his nose at the law.

Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” included a stunning $150 billion in new cash for his Department of War, so he could invade and run Venezuela. And he paid for it by throwing millions of actual Americans off their health care and taking food assistance from millions of hungry kids.

Today, he started an illegal war with Venezuela that Americans didn’t ask for and has nothing to do with our security.

How does going to war in South America help regular Americans who are struggling? How does this do anything about drugs entering the U.S. when Venezuela produces no fentanyl? What is the actual security threat to the United States? And what happens next in Venezuela?

He cannot answer these questions. That’s why there was no briefing to Congress to explain this action — and no briefing has been scheduled.

Maduro’s illegitimate election does not give the president the power to invade without congressional approval, nor does it create a national security justification. That contention is laughable.

There are people with warrants for their arrest all over the world. Can you invade all those countries without authorization from Congress? Of course not.

This is about satisfying Trump’s vanity, making good on the long-standing neoconservative grudge against Maduro, enriching Trump’s oil industry backers, and distracting voters from Epstein and rising costs.

Chris Murphy

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