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

Here is the unsealed 25 page #MaduroIndictment

https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1422326/dl

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

Trump about to speak

https://www.c-span.org/event/white-house-event/pres-trump-holds-news-conference-on-us-airstrikes-against-venezuela/439208

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

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

This picture violates #InternationalLaw. It is illegal to use pictures of prisoners for #propaganda.

#GenevaConventions #law #Congress #WarPowers #criminal #Trump #Maduro #abduction #Venezuela #oil #LandGrab #WarCrimes

“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