WTF?

The #Trump admin “captured” #Venezuela President Nicolás #Maduro & his wife & flew him out of the country in an insane nighttime operation that was accompanied by a flurry of strikes following months of escalating pressure on the #oil-rich #SouthAmerica nation.

The US is now deciding next steps for Venezuela, Trump said Saturday on Fox News, adding, “We’ll be involved in it very much.”

The legal authority for the attack was not clear. [there is none]

#law
https://apnews.com/live/trump-us-venezuela-updates-01-03-2026?utm_source=onesignal&utm_medium=push&utm_campaign=2026-01-03-Breaking+News

Venezuela live updates: Nicolás Maduro arrives in New York after capture by US forces

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been captured by the United States. President Donald Trump insisted the U.S. government would run the country at least temporarily.

AP News

US AG #PamBondi said #Maduro & his wife would face charges after an indictment in New York. Bondi vowed in a social media post that the couple would “soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.”

#Trump announced the developments on Truth Social shortly after 4:30AM ET & said he would host a news conference at 11AM ET.

#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw

#Trump brushed off criticism from US Democratic lawmakers that he did not seek permission from #Congress ahead of time & that the strike was #illegal. He called his Democratic critics “weak, stupid people” & blamed his political opponents for inflation in the US.

He said the operation in #Venezuela was “really genius.”

“All they do is complain,” he said of the #Democrats.

#law #WarPowers #criminal #abduction #oil #LandGrab #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw

“They should say, ‘Great job.’ They shouldn’t say, ‘Oh Gee, maybe it’s not constitutional.’ You know, the same old stuff that we’ve been hearing for years & years & years,” #Trump said who very likely has never read the #US #Constitution.

#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw

#Trump told FauxNews that #Maduro & his wife were aboard the US warship Iwo Jima & headed to NY, where they will face prosecution.

🚨Trump said in an interview Saturday morning that the #US will be making decisions on what is next for #Venezuela.🚨

“We can’t take a chance in letting somebody else run and just take over what he left, or left off.”

#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #abduction #oil #LandGrab #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw

Venezuelan ruling party leader Nahum Fernández told The Associated Press that Nicolás #Maduro & his wife were at their home within the Ft. Tiuna military installation when they were captured.

“That’s where they bombed,” he said. “And, there, they carried out what we could call a kidnapping of the president & the first lady of the country.”

#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Trump #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw

#EU foreign policy chief #KajaKallas wrote on X that she had spoken with #US Secy of State #MarcoRubio & the EU ambassador in Caracas. “The EU has repeatedly stated that Mr #Maduro lacks legitimacy & has defended a peaceful transition. Under all circumstances, the principles of #InternationalLaw & the #UN Charter must be respected. We call for restraint.”

Meaningless ⤴︎

#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Trump #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings

#Spain PM #PedroSánchez called for “de-escalation & responsibility. #InternationalLaw & the principles of the #UnitedNations Charter must be respected,” Sánchez wrote on X.

#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Trump #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy

#Russia Foreign Ministry said it is “extremely alarmed” & called for “immediate clarification,” acc/to a statement posted Saturday on the ministry’s Telegram channel. The ministry said such actions, if confirmed, would constitute “an unacceptable infringement on the #sovereignty of an #independent #state.”

#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Trump #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw

#Britain PM #KeirStarmer said the #UK was not involved in the #US operation in #Venezuela and that he would seek more information from #Trump. Without condemning the US action, #Starmer said he always believes that #InternationalLaw should be upheld. “But I think at this stage, fast moving situation, let’s establish the facts & take it from there,” he said.

#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #abduction #oil #LandGrab #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy

#China strongly condemned the #US strike in #Venezuela & the action against its president, the Foreign Ministry said, adding the Beijing govt was “deeply shocked” & firmly opposed to the operation.

“Such hegemonic acts of the US seriously violate #InternationalLaw & Venezuela’s #sovereignty & threaten #peace & #security in #LatinAmerica & the #Caribbean region,” it said.

#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Trump #abduction #oil #LandGrab #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy

#China called on the #US to comply with #InternationalLaw & the principles of the #UN Charter, urging it to stop violating the #sovereignty & #security of other nations.

#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Trump #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw

The #UnitedNations said it was “deeply alarmed” by the #US strikes in #Venezuela & the reported detention of President Nicolás #Maduro. It expressed concern the escalation was a violation of #InternationalLaw.

“These developments constitute a
dangerous precedent,” Stéphane Dujarric, spox for the #UN sec-gen, said. Dujarric said the UN worried about the implications for #LatinAmerica & the #Caribbean & called on “all actors in Venezuela” to respect #HumanRights & the rule of #law.

#Trump #oil

#US #DOJ released a new #indictment of #Maduro & wife

Maduro & other #Venezuela ofcls were indicted in 2020 on “narco-terrorism” conspiracy charges. The DOJ released a new indictment Saturday of Maduro & his wife for alleged role in #narcoterrorism #conspiracy.

#PamBondi said Maduro & his wife, Cilia Flores, would “soon face the full wrath of American justice on American soil in American courts.”

#law #Congress #WarPowers #Trump #abduction #oil #LandGrab #InternationalLaw

The #MaduroIndictment [for which the #US has no authority]

The #indictment accuses #Maduro of leading a “a corrupt, illegitimate government that, for decades, has leveraged government power to protect & promote illegal activity, including drug trafficking.” #DOJ alleges that the drug trafficking efforts “enriched & entrenched Venezuela’s political & military elite.”

#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Trump #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #WarCrimes #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw

#US #DOJ alleges that #Maduro partnered with “some of the most violent & prolific drug traffickers & narco-terrorists in the world” to bring “tons” of cocaine into the US, acc/to the #indictment.

The DOJ estimates that as much as 250 tons of cocaine were trafficked through #Venezuela by 2020 [start date?], acc/to the indictment.

#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Trump #abduction #MaduroIndictment #oil #LandGrab #InternationalLaw

So, what leader has the courage to abduct Trump & Melania?

The #Venezuela mission to the #UN has requested an emergency #Security Council [#UNSC] meeting & has asked the Council to condemn the #US military strikes against the country.

Venezuela’s ambassador, Samuel Reinaldo Moncada Acosta, said in a letter to the UNSC president: “The United States of America always uses lies to fabricate wars. It is an international #tyranny imposed with the #propaganda of death: the recent past confirms this.”

#law #Trump #abduction #oil #LandGrab #InternationalLaw

#MaríaCorinaMachado, the Venezuelan opposition leader, posted a statement calling for national unity following the capture of Nicolás #Maduro.

“Given his refusal to accept a negotiated exit, the government of the United States has fulfilled its promise to enforce the law,” she wrote. “We have struggled for years, we have given it our all, & it has been worth it. What had to happen is happening.”

Her support is unsurprising.

#law #Trump #abduction #Venezuela #oil #InternationalLaw

#Machado added that #EdmundoGonzález, who the #US has recognized as Venezuela’s President-elect, must “immediately” take office & be recognized as the country’s commander of the armed forces.

“Today we are prepared to enforce our mandate & take power,” Machado said. “We are going to restore order, release the political prisoners, build an exceptional country, & bring our children back home.”

#law #Congress #WarPowers #Trump #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #WarCrimes #InternationalLaw

Sick

#Trump posted a photo on social media showing #Maduro wearing a sweatsuit & a blindfold with the caption: “Nicolas Maduro on board the USS Iwo Jima.”

Maduro appeared to be wearing a flotation device around his neck. Next to him was someone wearing a jacket that had a DEA logo.

Maduro also had protective headphones on his ears & appeared to be lifting a water bottle with both arms to drink

#law #Congress #WarPowers #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #WarCrimes #InternationalLaw

“We are going to run the country,” #Trump said of #Venezuela. He said he did not want the #Maduro regime to continue with another leader.

#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #abduction #oil #LandGrab #sovereignty #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw

#Trump put no time limit on the #US #occupation. It would be up to the #UnitedStates to decide when to return the country to Venezulan control. And then he turned to #oil, saying that US companies would fix the infrastructure, “& start making money for the country.” [doubt any will go to Venezuelans]

#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Maduro #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #sovereignty #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw

#Trump referred to a “partnership” between #Venezuela & the #UnitedStates, which he said would make Venezuelans “rich, independent & safe.” Of course, this was a partnership accomplished by a #GovernmentOverthrow.

BTWs Trump’s asides about #DC, #NOLA, & #LA are total bullshit. No murder in NOLA & DC since his illegal intervention? Flat out lies.

#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Maduro #abduction #oil #LandGrab #sovereignty #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw

Now he’s back to insane asylums sending mental patients to the #US.

The man does not know the difference between “seeking asylum” & an “insane asylum”. #Trump is such a fucking moron.

#law #immigration #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Maduro #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #sovereignty #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw

#Trump has offered NO details about what the #US running #Venezuela looks like. Will there be an US official there in a leadership position?

As he justifies the #military operation, Trump argued that #Maduro sent members of Tren de Aragua to the US to terrorize the US. Trump’s own #intelligence community earlier this year debunked that claim, finding that the gang was not controlled by the Venezuelan govt.

#law #Congress #WarPowers #abduction #oil #LandGrab #sovereignty #InternationalLaw

In declaring that the #US will be “running” #Venezuela, #Trump has raised a host of questions: Will the US have an occupying #military force? Will it install a pliant government for some number of years? Will it run the #courts, & determine who pumps the #oil? All of this, of course, could enmesh the US in the kind of “forever wars” Trump’s #MAGA base has rejected.

Trump spoke about bringing in US oil companies to remake the #energy infrastucture &, presumably, to exploit oil reserves.

#law

#Trump looks like he’s falling #asleep on his feet as Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff describes the mission. I’m waiting for him to fall over.

#unfit

When asked how much running #Venezuela, potentially for years, will cost, #Trump said: “It won’t cost us anything.”

His claim that the #US won’t have to spend any money because it will be “reimbursed” by the #oil the US will take “out of the ground” is a total fantasy.

This will cost the US billions.

#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Maduro #abduction #LandGrab #sovereignty #WarCrimes #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw

The news conference is over. Despite multiple questions about how #Venezuela will be run, no details were provided.

#Trump repeatedly said “we’re gonna do” this & “we’re gonna do” that, but never gave info about HOW.

There were vague allusions to #MarcoRubio & Pete #Hegseth & a “group” but no specifics.

This is nuts.

#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Maduro #abduction #LandGrab #sovereignty #WarCrimes #oil #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw

#Trump also completely dismissed the idea of working with opposition leader & #NobelPeacePrize winner #MaríaCorinaMachado who actually won the last presidential #election in #Venezuela. Instead he said #MarcoRubio was in contact with Maduro’s VP #DelcyRodríguez. If this was even slightly about #Maduro being an illegitimate president, Rodríguez would also be illegitimate. This is so transparently about #oil it’s ridiculous.

#law #abduction #LandGrab #sovereignty #WarCrimes #InternationalLaw

Trump’s suggestion that Maduro’s VP, #DelcyRodríguez, would help the #US run the country literally came as #Venezuela state TV was playing a clip of her denouncing the US #military operation.

“Faced with this brutal situation & this brutal attack, we do not know the whereabouts of President Nicolás #Maduro & first lady Cilia Flores,” Rodríguez said. “We demand immediate proof of life for President Maduro & the first lady from the government of President Donald #Trump.”

#law #oil #LandGrab

#Trump spoke more about #oil than anything else. I don’t think I even heard him mention #democracy a single time. He vowed to fix #Venezuela’s oil infrastructure & said the #US plans to sell it to other countries [again, how is this legal?].

“We’re in the oil business. We’re going to sell it to them,” Trump said. he said oil companies will pay for the rebuilding of Venezuela’s oil infrastructure, & the wealth will pour in.

#law #abduction #LandGrab #sovereignty #WarCrimes #theft #piracy

Secy of #State #MarcoRubio said the “capture” of President #Maduro & his wife from #Venezuela was a “law enforcement” operation as a rationale for not going to #Congress, yet #Trump said the #US will now run the country & said “We’re not afraid of boots on the ground,” neither of which would be the result of a #LawEnforcement action.

Also AG #PamBondi was not included in the news conference announcing what would absolutely be the most significant #prosecution of her career.

#law #war #oil

Conflicting reports

Um… The VP of #Venezuela #DelcyRodriguez is currently in #Russia, 4 sources familiar with her movements said Saturday, after #Trump said #Maduro had been seized by US forces after an attack on the country & US Secy of #State #MarcoRubio was in contact with her & that she had been sworn in to the presidency.

#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #abduction #oil #LandGrab #sovereignty #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw
https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/venezuela-vice-president-rodriguez-russia-four-sources-say-2026-01-03/

Conflicting reports.

#Rodríguez addresses the nation [apparently in #Venezuela]

In a televised address to the nation that lasted less than 15 minutes, #DelcyRodríguez demanded the #US free #Maduro & calls him the country’s rightful leader, but left open the door for dialogue with the US.

#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Trump #abduction #oil #LandGrab #sovereignty #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw
https://apnews.com/live/trump-us-venezuela-updates-01-03-2026#0000019b-8547-d3eb-adff-f7df5a480000

Venezuela live updates: Nicolás Maduro arrives in New York after capture by US forces

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has been captured by the United States. President Donald Trump insisted the U.S. government would run the country at least temporarily.

AP News

#Venezuela VP #DelcyRodríguez, speaking on state television in Spanish, reiterated calls for the release of #Maduro & his wife.

She called for calm & unity to defend the country amid Maduro's "kidnapping" & said Venezuela will never be the #colony of any nation.

Rodríguez spoke from #Caracas with her brother, national assembly head Jorge Rodríguez, interior minister Diosdado Cabello & the foreign & defense ministers.

#law #Trump #abduction #oil #LandGrab #sovereignty
https://www.reuters.com/world/us/live-trump-says-us-has-captured-venezuela-president-maduro-2026-01-03/

#DelcyRodríguez, Venezuela’s interim president & #Maduro’s VP speaking to the nation, said #Trump “launched an unprecedented military aggression” that “constitutes a terrible stain on the development of bilateral relations.”She said, “the masks had fallen off, revealing only one objective: #RegimeChange in #Venezuela. This regime change would also allow for the seizure of our energy, mineral & natural resources. This is the true objective, & the world & the international community must know it.”

#DelcyRodríguez was defiant as she spoke on live television. “If there is one thing that the Venezuelan people & this country are clear about,” she said, “it is that we will never again be slaves, that we will never again be a colony of any empire, whatever its nature.”

“There is only one president in this country, & his name is Nicolás #Maduro Moros,” Rodríguez said.

#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Trump #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #sovereignty #InternationalLaw

#DelcyRodríguez, spoke flanked by powerful military officials & other key government leaders as she denounced the #UnitedStates’ actions. As she introduced each figure on live television, they nodded toward her in a show of deference as she demanded that #Maduro was the rightful president of #Venezuela. The display of force & unity undermined President Trump’s earlier comments that Washington would work with Rodríguez to run Venezuela.

#Trump #abduction #oil #sovereignty #law #InternationalLaw

#DelcyRodríguez added that #Venezuela was open to having a respectful relationship with the #Trump admin, but only within the framework of international & Venezuelan #law. “That is the only type of relationship I will accept, after they have attacked & militarily assaulted our beloved nation,” she said.

#Congress #WarPowers #criminal #abduction #oil #LandGrab #sovereignty #WarCrimes #ExtrajudicialKillings #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw

#DelcyRodríguez was sworn in as #Venezuela’s new president Saturday, but she repeatedly said that #Maduro was Venezuela’s “only president” & even the text on Venezuelan state TV labeled her as vice president. When she ended, the state broadcaster immediately said that Rodríguez was the VP who had just made clear that Maduro was Venezuela’s president.

#law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Trump #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #sovereignty #WarCrimes #theft #piracy #InternationalLaw

In an interview w/ NYT, secy of #state #MarcoRubio said he was reserving judgment on #DelcyRodríguez’s comments, in which she denied she planned to work with the #US.

“We’re going to make decisions based on their actions & their deeds in the days & weeks to come,” he said, referring to ofcls in the interim #Venezuela govt. “We think they’re going to have some unique & historic opportunities to do a great service for the country, & we hope that they’ll accept that opportunity.”

#law #Trump

The #UN #Security Council will convene an emergency meeting on Monday morning to discuss #US strikes in #Venezuela. #Russia, #China & #Colombia asked for the meeting after Venezuela’s mission to the UN wrote a letter to the Council president requesting the meeting to condemn & stop US strikes on the country. Secy Gen António Guterres is expected to address the #UNSC Monday. He said in a statement earlier that all sides must uphold #InternationalLaw & the #UNcharter.

#law #Trump #abduction #oil

@Nonilex This could get very messy, very quickly and Americans in Venezuela could end up as hostages. Aside from grabbing control of the oil, has this been thought through? We’ll soon find out.
VP Delcy Rodríguez offers statements with the National Defense Council of the nation

YouTube
@Nonilex Correction - she is not in Russia, she just appeared in public in Venezuela, and denounced the attack by the US.
@Nonilex Conflicting reports: CNN says she is in Venezuela. Edit: Live on air in the last few minutes, I'll provide a link if I see one.
@dcdeejay @Nonilex She just made a speech in Caracas, saying Venezuela is united against an agressor, and that Maduro is the only legitimate president. Was just reported by Dutch reporter Boris van der Spek, who is there, for the Dutch NOS news organisation (the news was reported at the very end of the 8 o'clock news, so the news is from less than 30 minutes ago)
@kritischelezer Thanks - most of the reputable outlets I am familiar with are paywalled ATM. @Nonilex
@dcdeejay yeah I hate that... AP news has it too now, I saw.

@kritischelezer @dcdeejay

Yes. Subsequently in my thread.

@Nonilex I don’t see a “law enforcement” exception.
@Nonilex This is patently, obviously, illegal, but who’s gonna stop the Epstein class? Nobody. Ww3, here we come, all to protect some rich dudes from facing consequences.
@MissConstrue @Nonilex The Epstein class. That’s exactly what we’re up against.
@Nonilex if even pam bondi doesn't want to touch a maduro prosecution with a ten foot pole the legal memos must be written in an especially toxic brand of crayon on a particularly disgusting leftover pizza box.
@Nonilex But he did mention Biden 6 or 7 times, blaming him for various issues, and throwing in “other presidents” a few times for good measure. I’m guessing little of the oil money will reach actual Venezuelans since, like the Mafia, we will skim the proceeds for Trump and his cronies first, then US oil interests. What a payoff for that billion dollar campaign contribution from the oil companies!
@Nonilex He also spoke more about our wonderful equipment than about our soldiers.
@Nonilex @kbsez Never heard that one before – someone else will pay for it.
@Nonilex they don't want a legitimate leader in power, they want a corrupt puppet to help them suck the country dry. So transparent.
@Nonilex Here we go ... next will be getting his dirty hands at that peace prize from her ...🤨🤔🤨

@Nonilex

Stephen Miller will be the transitional president.

@Nonilex

Send Pete and Marco to Venezuela and tell them to run the country properly. They do not get any support staff. Marco's language skills and Pete's charm should be all they need.

@Nonilex incompetent juveniles governing like it’s a cartoon
@Nonilex incompetent juveniles governing like it’s a cartoon
@Nonilex Nuts is putting it extremely mildly.
@Nonilex It has long been the fantasy of Venezuelans that Simon Bolivar would return in some guise to lead them once again. Bet they did not picture a fat old cankled and senile child molester with an orange face riding up on that famous white horse . . .
@Nonilex We heard that one before. Wasn’t that Rumsfeld’s line?
@Nonilex and you can be sure that billions will flow into trump's pockets from those oil companies!
@Nonilex Why isn't anyone talking about how fucked up it is that he's invaded a country and has calmly stated that he's going to rule it now? Putin did that to Ukraine and the entire western world absolutely shat itself, but Trump does it and the question is, "But how much will it cost?" What the actual fuck?
@Nonilex "Mexico's gonna pay for it" all over again.
@Nonilex I’m sure we’ll make it all up in tariffs! </s>
@Nonilex Rubio is still much alive though, yet soon politically dead... hopefully.

@Nonilex
Thank you for this thread.

Shit is fucked up and bullshit, but a thread on the details of it is welcome.