U.S. Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett used a Facebook Live broadcast on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, to voice serious concerns about the United States’ military operation in Venezuela.
She is warning that the action could represent another instance of presidential overreach and a troubling erosion of constitutional safeguards.
After President Trump launched a military operation in Venezuela, leading to the capture of President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, lawmakers across the country weighed in on social media. Republicans far and wide hailed the operation and called Maduro a “narco terrorist” responsible for the deaths of several Americans.
In a news conference Saturday, Trump insisted that the United States would “run” the country but stated U.S. oil companies would make significant investments in the country. The only U.S. oil company currently allowed in the country is Chevron.
Speaking candidly to her followers, Crockett, who has launched a groundbreaking senate bid, said she felt compelled to address what she described as a pattern of actions by President Donald Trump that risk undermining the U.S. Constitution.
Crockett said she had not expected to be weighing in on international military developments so early in the year, but argued that the events unfolding in Venezuela demanded public scrutiny.
“This reminds me of how I felt the day that I found out about him most likely exceeding his powers before, as it relates to yet another foreign nation,” Crockett said, adding that constitutional violations—whether related to due process or military authority—should never be treated as isolated incidents.
Crockett referenced earlier reports that U.S. forces had attacked Venezuelan vessels, allegedly linked to drug trafficking, without what she described as adequate transparency or opportunity for oversight. She questioned the justification for the use of lethal force and warned that failing to challenge such actions could set a dangerous precedent.
“Once you allow someone…to recede and take away powers that exist in our strongest documents, such as the Constitution itself, then it becomes a downward spiral, and it doesn’t stop,” she said.
Although Crockett does not sit on the House Foreign Affairs or Armed Services committees, she stressed that the issue goes beyond committee jurisdiction. She noted that as a member of Congress, she believes lawmakers have a responsibility to weigh in on matters that implicate constitutional authority and place American lives at risk.
Crockett currently serves on several influential committees, including the House Judiciary Committee, the Oversight Committee, and the Select Committee related to the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
She is also the ranking member of a select committee focused on declassification matters, including records related to unidentified aerial phenomena (commonly known as UFOs) and historical figures such as Martin Luther King Jr. and President John F. Kennedy. She acknowledged that holding four committee assignments is unusual but said it reflects the breadth of issues her office engages with.
During the live broadcast, Crockett said Democratic lawmakers were actively discussing the Venezuela situation among themselves and expressed shared concern about the implications of the military action. She stated that Democratic criticism should not be framed as support for authoritarian leaders abroad, but rather as a defense of constitutional process.
“This is not about siding with anyone,” she said. “This is about process. This is about our Constitution. And it is about the precedent that it sets when you start to do things like this.”
Crockett also invited viewers to submit questions and comments, saying her staff was monitoring the discussion so she could respond as fully as possible.
She concluded by underscoring the need for accountability and congressional engagement whenever the executive branch undertakes actions with far-reaching domestic and international consequences.
