President Donald Trump announced on social media that the U.S. has captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro, and that he and Maduro’s wife, have been flown out of the country.
U.S. Senator Andy Kim (D-NJ) responded on social media by calling out State Secretary Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Kim wrote: “Secretaries Rubio and Hegseth looked every Senator in the eye a few weeks ago and said this wasn’t about regime change. I didn’t trust them then and we see now that they blatantly lied to Congress. Trump rejected our Constitutionally required approval process for armed conflict because the Administration knows the American people overwhelmingly reject risks pulling our nation into another war.”
Secretaries Rubio and Hegseth looked every Senator in the eye a few weeks ago and said this wasn’t about regime change. I didn’t trust them then and we see now that they blatantly lied to Congress. Trump rejected our Constitutionally required approval process for armed conflict… https://t.co/wdXm21gHnA
— Senator Andy Kim (@SenatorAndyKim) January 3, 2026
Kim added: “This strike doesn’t represent strength. It’s not sound foreign policy. It puts Americans at risk in Venezuela and the region, and it sends a horrible and disturbing signal to other powerful leaders across the globe that targeting a head of state is an acceptable policy for the U.S. government. This will further damage our reputation – already hurt by Trump’s policies around the world – and only isolate us in a time when we need our friends and allies more than ever.”
Note: Kim worked at the U.S. State Department and served in Afghanistan as a civilian adviser to generals David Petraeus and John R. Allen before working as a national security adviser under President Barack Obama and drafting the plan to strike ISIS in 2014.
MAGA supporters including Marc Thiessen, former White House speechwriter for Bush-era Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, replied: “All those complaining this was unlawful, George HW Bush did exactly the same thing in Operation Just Cause in Panama — all without an AUMF from Congress. Ronald Reagan also invaded Grenada without an AUMF.” (AUMF is an acronym for Authorization for Use of Military Force.)
All those complaining this was unlawful, George HW Bush did exactly the same thing in Operation Just Cause in Panama — all without an AUMF from Congress. Ronald Reagan also invaded Grenada without an AUMF. So spare me the TDS about Trump trampling the Constitution and… https://t.co/LyZg1YMy2K
— Marc Thiessen
(@marcthiessen) January 3, 2026
Note: President George H.W. Bush cited Panama’s declaration of a state of war with the United States and attacks on U.S. troops as justification for the invasion. (The Trump administration has not cited reports of Venezuela declaring a state of war against the U.S. nor attacking U.S. troops.)
President George W. Bush famously sought congressional approval through AUMF after the 9/11 attacks and in 2002 to authorize the use of U.S. armed forces in the Iraq War, with the repercussions of the votes by Senators, including Hillary Clinton, having lasting impact on their political careers as the Iraq campaign failed to be the “slam dunk” predicted by the administration.
In 2023, then-Rep. Andy Kim co-sponsored a bill to repeal and replace the 2001 AUMF, which a statement described as “global in scope and with no sunset, the 2001 AUMF has been used over the course of four Administrations to authorize U.S. military operations across 22 countries, far beyond Congress’ original intent to authorize operations against Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan.”
Kim said at the time: “The decision to send US servicemembers into harm’s way is the most profound and solemn responsibility and should only be done in the most vital cases.” He added: “It has been a disservice to our brave servicemembers to use a decades old authorization as our basis for military engagement. Congress must act and be as precise as possible about the potential force we will call upon of servicemembers to use.”