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Trump says US will run Venezuela until peaceful transition and details capture …
AP
US vice president JD Vance has been criticised online after claiming that Donald Trump’s attack on Venezuela wasn’t illegal.
Trump stated that the US will “run” Venezuela after a military operation captured Nicolas Maduro and his wife, shocking the world with an overnight attack.
The U.S. president said an interim “group” with top administration officials will “run” the country for “a period of time” until the United States determines a “peaceful and just transition” can take place.
JD Vance posted a statement on Twitter/X, writing: “The president offered multiple off ramps, but was very clear throughout this process: the drug trafficking must stop, and the stolen oil must be returned to the United States. Maduro is the newest person to find out that President Trump means what he says. “
He added: “Kudos to our brave special operators who pulled off a truly impressive operation.
“And PSA for everyone saying this was ‘illegal’: Maduro has multiple indictments in the United States for narcoterrorism. You don't get to avoid justice for drug trafficking in the United States because you live in a palace in Caracas.”
However, people were quick to criticise Vance’s words on social media.
Journalist and commentator James Surowiecki replied: "his argument means that any time a president wants to invade a country 'legally,' he just has to get his DOJ to indict the country's leader. It makes Congress' power to declare war totally meaningless."
U.S. Senator for California Adam Schiff wrote: "This argument should send a chill down the spine of every American.
"By this logic, the President can send our military anywhere in the world and be the sole decider of when to risk war. Not the American people. Not Congress.
"What's to stop China from indicting and capturing the leaders of Taiwan tomorrow?"
Separately, Democratic politician Rep. Seth Moulton hit out at the strikes in an interview on CNN, writing on Twitter/X: “This is insane. What the hell are we doing?”
“We’ve got a lot of problems in America today and invading, occupying, running Venezuela does not solve any of them. This is illegal, it’s unjustified, it is not in our national interests and there seems to be no plan whatsoever for what happens next.”
Why not read…?
- Trump’s 2023 speech on Venezuela resurfaces: ‘We would have gotten that oil’
- 'Beyond parody’: Trump administration ridiculed over one small detail in Venezuela ‘situation room’
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