Washington, Jan 6 (.) US military will have a limited role in Venezuela, said Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday, after top deputies to President Donald Trump briefed senior Congress leaders on the surprise military operation on Saturday, where US troops kidnapped reigning President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in Caracas on narcoterrorism charges, ousting the leader from power.
Bringing the couple to Washington following their capture, the two were later taken to New York for trial on drug trafficking and related charges, with both pleading not guilty during their appearance in a Manhattan court, with Maduro declaring that he is “an innocent, decent man” and “still the president” of his country, adding that he “was kidnapped” by US forces.
Likewise, Flores remained vocally defiant and still identified herself as the “First Lady of the Venezuelan Republic” adding that she was not guilty on any of the charges she was being tried for.
Ruling out any additional military intervention, Johnson, post the two-hour long evening briefing on Capitol Hill told reporters “We don’t expect troops on the ground.
“We don’t expect direct involvement in any other way beyond just coercing the … the interim government to get that going. I expect that there will be an election called in Venezuela. … It should happen in short order.”
The behind-curtains briefing marked Trump’s first in-person briefing to lawmakers regarding the operation, reports Politico.
Later in the day, Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, Attorney General Pam Bondi, CIA Director John Ratcliffe, and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Dan Caine met with senior party leaders and the bipartisan heads of the Foreign Affairs, Foreign Relations, Armed Services and Intelligence committees.
Reaction to the Trump administration’s actions has caused a large split among GOP lawmakers, polarising officials, as many questioned the legality of the operation.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer said the briefing was “extensive” but raised “far more questions than it answered.”
“Their plan for the U.S. running Venezuela is vague, based on wishful thinking and unsatisfying,” Schumer said, adding that as he sought assurances that Washington would not attempt similar actions elsewhere, but he received none.
Johnson, meanwhile, seeking to downplay the broader implications of the highly controversial military raid — and curb down the barrage of criticism being levied at Trump and his deputies, reneged on pledges not to pursue regime change in Venezuela.
“The way this is being described — this is not a regime change,” Johnson said. “This is a demand for change of behaviour by a regime.”
The administration will brief all House members Wednesday, Johnson added. The Senate is also expected to get a briefing for all of its members that day, though that hasn’t been finalised.
According to two people familiar with the meeting, officials also discussed reports of explosions in Caracas that emerged as the briefing was under way.
A White House official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the administration was closely monitoring the situation but stressed that the US was not involved.
House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Brian Mast said the briefers covered events “before, during and after” the operation.
He added that it would be “unreasonable to think there aren’t disruptors there,” citing the governments of Iran, China and Russia.
Senator Jeanne Shaheen, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, remarked that while some of her questions were addressed, “a significant number of questions still need to be answered.”
Asked whether similar actions might be considered elsewhere, she said, “I don’t think that’s clear.”
House Foreign Affairs Committee ranking member Gregory Meeks voicing concern about the administration’s plans beyond the military operation said, “The military did its job. It had a plan. I don’t like the orders that they were given. But I can’t say the same for the plan after.”
Demonstrating a sharp contrast in tone, Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Roger Wicker, presenting a more optimistic stance said “we have a lot of professionals running this, and I have confidence.”
However, other Republicans said they wanted more clarity from the administration on what its ultimate endgame was, with Senator Thom Tillis saying “I don’t know how you do that without boots on the ground, and I don’t support boots on the ground.”
Some lawmakers criticised not the substance of the policy but the administration’s decision for a piecemeal congressional briefing.
Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which oversees the Justice Department and the FBI, complained they were excluded from initial briefings despite the administration characterising Maduro’s capture as a law enforcement action.
“This business of coming over and just talking to some of us is a special kind of stupid,” said Senator John Kennedy.
“They need to sit down with every member of the Senate and explain what’s going on.”
. . CDS