Texas leaders react to US strikes on Venezuela, capture of Maduro

Early Saturday morning, the news broke of U.S. military strikes on Venezuela and the capture of President Nicolás Maduro. Texas leaders are now sharing their support or disdain for the move as the story develops.

Texas officials on the Republican side of the aisle generally agree that Maduro is an illegitimate leader and the Trump Administration's decision was warranted, while Democrats are concerned that Trump overstepped his role in authorizing the strike without consulting Congress. 

Texas Republicans react

What they're saying:

Sen. Ted Cruz was one of the first to share an official statement on the matter Saturday morning. That statement reads in part as follows:

"Maduro facilitated, enabled, and profited from flooding the United States with drugs that injured and killed hundreds of thousands of Americans. Removing him from power will save countless lives and serve as a warning to all others targeting Americans.

"I applaud President Trump for his leadership, and I am deeply grateful to our servicemembers for their execution of this operation. Heidi and I are praying in thanks and for the quick and full recovery of our injured."

Sen. John Cornyn also voiced his support, sharing a statement to X, formerly Twitter, giving Trump "kudos."

"Maduro was not only an illegitimate President of Venezuela, he was the head of the Cartel de los Soles, a major drug trafficking network involving high-ranking Venezuelan military officers and government officials. He has been indicted in the Southern District of New York for narco-terrorism conspiracy and other crimes. 

"His association with the Iranian regime and its proxy, Hezbollah, helped fund terrorism in South America and the Middle East, and he was complicit with the "ghost fleets" of Russia, Iran, and China, used to evade US sanctions and fund the Russian war on Ukraine."

Texas Democrats react

Rep. Jasmine Crockett, a Dallas Democrat currently in the running for Cornyn's seat in the Senate, shared a statement to X as well, calling the administration "feckless."

"This is when we see who is serious about their oath & who isn’t. This President continues to exceed his powers because Republicans care more about a pat on the head than they do being patriots. OUR TROOPS, OUR LAND, OUR CITIZENS, & OUR STANDING IN THE WORLD are all being put at risk! 

"If republicans are so supportive of his acts, then he could have come to Congress for approval… but he’s been allowed to unconstitutionally grab immigrants, then US citizens off the streets because too many people continue to pretend like this is nothing more than a game!"

Rep. Marc Veasey, another Dallas-area Democrat, split the aisle with his statement, agreeing with Republicans that Maduro needs to be held accountable, but that Trump's call was out of line.

Nicolás Maduro is a brutal dictator whose regime has terrorized the Venezuelan people for years. His corruption, violence, and repression have inflicted immense suffering, and he must be held accountable. But President Trump does not have the authority to unilaterally launch military action without congressional authorization. Yet once again, Donald Trump chose to sidestep Congress entirely."

"Most Members of Congress learned about this strike the same way the public did—through social media. Donald Trump must brief Congress immediately on its plans to prevent regional instability and the legal authority under which this action was taken. The United States is a democracy governed by laws—not the whims of one man."

State Rep. James Talarico (D-Austin), who's also in the running for Cornyn's seat, released an official statement later in the day:

"Last year, Trump promised American oil executives "a great deal" if they donated $1 billion to his campaign.

Today, he gave them Venezuela — home to the largest oil reserves in the world.

The president is putting American troops in harm's way for a deeply corrupt deal."

US strikes Venezuela

What we know:

As of Saturday morning, it was not known whether there were deaths or injuries, whether additional military actions were planned, or who was exercising control of Venezuela’s government. 

Hours after the strike, President Donald Trump announced on social media that U.S. forces had captured Maduro and his wife and flown them out of Venezuela.

"Maduro has been, along with his wife, captured and flown out of the Country," Trump wrote, adding that the operation was carried out in conjunction with U.S. law enforcement. Trump said the strikes were carried out "successfully" and scheduled a news conference for later Saturday.

The White House did not respond yet to questions about where Maduro and his wife were being taken.

The legal authority for the strike — and whether Trump consulted Congress beforehand — were also not immediately known, according to AP.

The Armed Services committees in Congress had not been formally notified, a person familiar with the matter told the AP. Lawmakers from both parties have raised concerns in recent months about U.S. military actions tied to drug interdiction near Venezuela.

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