Texas Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett has once again criticized the recent U.S. military operation that led to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro during an appearance on the American daytime talk show The View.
Crockett argued that the move was not motivated by humanitarian concern for the Venezuelan people but was instead driven by other interests and executed in a way she says violates constitutional norms and international principles.
Crockett told hosts that invoking an 18th-century statute — the Alien Enemies Act — and launching strikes without explicit congressional approval raised serious legal questions about the legitimacy of the action.
She cited examples such as U.S. government use of controversial detention centers and military strikes that resulted in significant casualties, insisting that “this ain’t about Venezuelans” and warned that a unilateral capture of a leader, carried out without legislative oversight, would outrage Americans if done by a foreign power inside the U.S.
The lawmaker also drew a provocative comparison between Maduro and President Donald Trump, saying on the show that someone attempting to undermine democratic processes in the U.S. mirrors authoritarian tendencies — “the difference is Maduro was successful.”
“There are a lot of people that don’t like our leader [Trump]. And regardless, somebody coming into the United States and grabbing our leader in the middle of the night and killing people in this country, I’m sure everybody would be outraged at them doing it that way,” she said.
Her remarks are in reaction to the recent unprecedented military operation in Venezuela and the capture of the country’s leader, Nicolas Maduro and his wife.
Maduro and his wife are currently on trial in New York for a myriad of federal crimes, including narco-terrorism. Maduro has always insisted he is innocent of the allegations against him.
Crockett’s comments add to the growing condemnation of the U.S. operation in Venezuela.
Critics argue it bypassed constitutional requirements and set a dangerous precedent for foreign interventions. Supporters of the mission maintain that it targeted a leader accused of serious criminal offences.
