The Secretary of War of the United States, Pete Hegseth, claimed this Tuesday the capture of Nicolás Maduro and firmly rejected the initiative for impeachment against him during a press conference at the Pentagon, the first he has held in over six months.
“Maduro thought he was untouchable. He was not kidnapped. He was brought to justice by the best in America,” declared Hegseth, according to a video circulated on social media. The official described the operation as a victory “in one night,” carried out in approximately 48 minutes.
The appearance comes a day after Republican Congressman Thomas Massie presented a resolution with eight articles of impeachment against Hegseth, including conducting military operations against Iran without legislative authorization, ordering lethal attacks against drug trafficking vessels resulting in at least 243 fatalities, and capturing Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores without constitutional support.
Hegseth described the process as "a political spectacle, a personal manifesto driven by ego and resentment."
The secretary defended each of the questioned operations: "Iran, the cartels, Maduro, Yemen, all were legal operations ordered by the commander-in-chief and subsequently by me, reported to Congress and carried out by American fighters who fulfilled their duty."
He also framed his defense on the eve of Veterans Day, which is celebrated this Wednesday in the United States: "These resolutions tell each of them that their service was a crime. Their service was not a crime. They are heroes, and no politician in Washington will tell them otherwise while I hold this office."
Hegseth stated that it is the first time in the country's history that a cabinet secretary overseeing the Armed Forces "is being attacked not for losing conflicts against our enemies, but for winning them," and added: "I was proud to carry them out and I would do it again tomorrow."
The Absolute Resolve Operation, carried out in the early hours of January 3, 2026, in Caracas, resulted in the capture of Maduro and Flores, who remain detained at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. During the operation, 32 Cuban guards who were part of the security detail for the then Venezuelan leader were killed, and seven U.S. military personnel were injured without any fatalities.
This is not the first time Hegseth has publicly claimed responsibility for the operation. In February, from Cape Canaveral, he described it as "the most sophisticated incursion in the history of the planet," and in June, from the Guantanamo Naval Base, he issued direct warnings to the Cuban regime, using the capture as an example of the consequences of defying Washington.
Maduro and Flores face charges of narcoterrorism conspiracy and cocaine trafficking; they have pleaded not guilty, and their trial is scheduled for June 2027. According to The New York Times, Maduro has lost weight in prison due to the poor quality of the food and has been reading the Bible and the Quran, while Flores has lost over 25 pounds and two teeth.
The House of Representatives must vote on the Massie resolution before this Wednesday. If it is approved by a simple majority, it would move to the Senate, where it would need two-thirds of the votes to initiate the process that could lead to Hegseth's impeachment.
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