Democrats accuse the White House of lying to Congress about its objectives in Venezuela

The Democratic senator Andy Kim accused Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of War Pete Hegseth of misleading Congress about the true objectives of the United States in Venezuela, following the military operation this Saturday that resulted in the capture of Nicolás Maduro.

While President Donald Trump publicly celebrated the detention of the Venezuelan leader as an unprecedented military success, some Democratic sectors in Congress expressed concern about the legality of the action and the prior briefings in which government officials assured that there was no intention to pursue a regime change in Caracas, noted the newspaper The New York Times.

Kim, senator from New Jersey and former national security official during the administration of Barack Obama (2009-2017), accused Rubio and Hegseth of having “blatantly” lied to the legislative body when they denied that the goal was to overthrow Maduro.

In his view, the decision is "disastrous" and could further isolate the United States on the international stage.

In a message posted on his X account, the legislator stated that Trump deliberately circumvented the constitutional process for approving the use of armed force.

"The government knows that the American people overwhelmingly reject the risk of dragging our nation into another war," Kim stated, referring to the lack of explicit authorization from Congress.

Democratic criticisms are arising amid a growing internal debate regarding the limits of presidential power in foreign policy and the actual extent of U.S. intervention in Venezuela, now that the White House has declared its intention to remain in the country until a political transition is achieved and key sectors like the oil industry are restructured.

The day was marked by Trump's announcement of the capture of Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, during a U.S. military operation in Caracas.

The head of the White House stated at a press conference that the United States will maintain control over Venezuela "until there is a fair and orderly transition" and linked this presence to the management and reconstruction of the oil industry with the participation of American companies.

The Venezuelan regime denounced an aggression, while the opposition celebrated the decline of chavismo as a historic turning point.