Nevada political leaders react to US military action in Venezuela

(KTNV) — Nevada's political leaders are reacting to the U.S. military's capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in an overnight raid on Caracas.

The Silver State's majority-Democrat congressional delegation joined a chorus of their counterparts who criticized President Donald Trump and his administration for not giving Congress advance notice of the plans.

WATCH: President Donald Trump holds a press conference detailing the military operation to capture Maduro:

U.S. Sen. Jacky Rosen, who is a member of the Senate's Armed Services and Foreign Relations committees, issued a statement calling for the passage of a resolution to prohibit Trump from carrying out additional strikes without Congressional input.

"While Nicolás Maduro was an illegitimate and brutal dictator — and his ouster will be greeted with celebration by Venezuelans who were forced to endure horrific conditions under his regime — the Constitution is clear: only Congress has the power to declare war and authorize the use of military force in other nations, especially when there is no imminent threat to U.S. national security that requires immediate presidential action," Rosen stated in part.

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto echoed her support of the War Powers resolution introduced by Sen. Tim Kaine (D-VA), "to make it clear the President cannot drag us into a war in Venezuela that the American people do not want," she stated. "The Senate must vote on it as soon as possible."

Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, were being held on board the U.S. warship Iwo Jima, President Trump said. The pair has been indicted in the Southern District of New York, and Maduro faces charges of narco-terrorism conspiracy, cocaine importation conspiracy, possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to possess machine guns and destructive devices against the United States," according to U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.

“On behalf of the entire U.S. Department of Justice, I would like to thank President Trump for having the courage to demand accountability on behalf of the American people, and a huge thank you to our brave military who conducted the incredible and highly successful mission to capture these two alleged international narco traffickers," Bondi said.

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Congresswoman Dina Titus, who represents Nevada's 1st Congressional District, accused the Trump administration of "failing to learn from the failures of Iraq in 2003 and other flawed nation-building endeavors."

"Actions like this do not happen in a vacuum," Titus stated. "There are geopolitical ripple effects that will reverberate around the world. The Venezuelan people have suffered enough, but Trump's actions could subject them to even more turmoil. The 'President of Peace' has once again shown that he is the 'Commander-in-Chaos.'"

The Republican National Committee, in a social media response to Titus's statement, called into question whether the president's actions were "illegal."

"Nicolas Maduro was an indicted fugitive who was poisoning and killing the American people — and President Trump is stopping it," the RNC wrote on X.

President Trump said the U.S. will "run" Venezuela "until such time as we can do a safe, proper and judicious transition."

U.S. oil companies will also have a presence in the country, Trump said — something Democrats seized on as a possible ulterior motive for Maduro's capture.

"We're going to have our very large United States oil companies, the biggest anywhere in the world, go in, spend billions of dollars, fix the badly broken infrastructure, the oil infrastructure, and start making money for the country," Trump said.

Rep. Steven Horsford, who represents Nevada's 4th Congressional District, wrote that the "unauthorized" military strike in Venezuela
"entangled the U.S. in nation-building once again, and appeared to be driven largely by access to Venezuela's oil resources."

"President Trump is occupying Venezuela for corporate oil profits while the American people are clamoring for affordability relief here at home," Horsford stated.

Rep. Susie Lee, who represents Nevada's 3rd Congressional District, wrote that the Venezuelan people should be free to choose their future, but stated, "The American people are opposed to another forever war."

"Throughout history, too often the United States started wars without a plan to end them, losing too many of our sons and daughters along the way," Lee stated. "Now, President Trump has said that the United States is "running" Venezuela. Such an action is an act of war, not a law-enforcement activity, and requires Congressional authorization and clear legal authority, neither of which the Administration has been given."

Nevada's sole Republican Congressional representative, Mark Amodei, had not released a public statement about the operation as of this report.

Locally, Maduro's capture is being celebrated among the Venezuelan community as an act of liberation.

The Venezuelan Foundation plans to host a rally and celebration of Maduro's capture at 7 p.m. Saturday at 1134 S. Rainbow Blvd.

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